I’ve been a fan of the Pacific brand of foods for a long time now. Regular readers might remember my review of the company’s BPA-free, baked and “refried” beans. Pacific also makes non-dairy milks, soup starters, soups, broths, and other high quality, shelf stable foods. The latest addition to their list of products is a new, shelf stable hummus, and I was recently lucky enough to sample it for myself.
This hummus is perfect to have on hand as a versatile dip or spread for last-minute hosting, healthy lunchbox building, or a punched up, meal-sized salad. The hummus is available in three flavors: Roasted Red Pepper, Classic and Roasted Garlic. A few features of the hummus:
I have to admit: when I first received my samples of the hummus, I was dubious. I’m so accustomed to making my own hummus that I’m hesitant to try store-bought brands in the first place, and I was especially wary of something shelf-stable. In spite of my skepticism, I found that the consistency of the humus is fantastic (it’s a lot like the hummus I make at home: very thick, very dense, smooth but with a little texture), and the flavors are very vibrant. They’re all more garlicky than I’m used to, but I wasn’t bothered by it, and I loved that they each have a strong lemon flavor, too (I’m a lemon fiend).
As part of their effort to get the word out about these new hummus flavors, the folks at Pacific asked if I’d be willing to share some ideas for enjoying hummus that are a little off the beaten path (that is, not just eating hummus with crudites). I use hummus in pretty much everything–on salads, in wraps, on tortillas–so I was happy to oblige.
The first idea that came to mind was to mix up my breakfast routine a bit. Two standard breakfasts in my apartment are avocado on an English muffin and almond butter and banana on toast. Now that it’s summer, and both tomatoes and peppers are in season, I thought that a breakfast with hummus and one or both of these vegetables might be a nice chance of pace.
Such an easy, satisfying way to start the day. You can serve this with fresh fruit, a small smoothie, or some veggie slices.
If you’re looking for some other easy, creative ideas for using hummus, I also highly recommend serving it over zucchini noodles:
(That’s my raw, chili spiced brussels sprout and pumpkin seed topping you see on top of the Pacific roasted red pepper hummus, which is probably my favorite flavor of all three–it’s the tangiest!)
And if you like the hummus+roasted red pepper combination, I also enjoyed the roasted garlic hummus, which has a subtle sweetness to it, over corn chips with some roasted red pepper strips:
Typically, I’m keen on preparing my hummus from scratch. It’s one of my favorite things to make at home (I have a whole hummus recipe section, after all!), and since it’s so easy and economical to prepare, I see no reason not to. But I’m also in a place right now where I have time to DIY and cook on a regular basis. I’m thinking back to my toughest post-bacc days, or to my working life, and I can imagine easily how handy this hummus would have been then: a healthy, whole foods, BPA free and organic option that tastes almost as authentic as the homemade stuff.
I think that the Pacific shelf-stable hummus is an ideal solution for anyone who’s struggling to have healthy, plant based options on hand. The fact that it can last for a long time means that it’s easy to stock up and use it as needed, which is ideal for days on which you’re caught off guard, trying to put something tasty together at the last minute. Though I don’t know that I’d purchase it regularly right now, as someone who works from home primarily and can make time for homemade hummus adventures, I can say honestly that I loved the flavor and would absolutely buy it when and if my kitchen time became more scarce. Two thumbs up.
Before I go, I wanted to share this week’s New Veganism column for Food52! It’s twofold: first, a handy tutorial on making zucchini pasta (a favorite summer food of mine). It includes three methods, which means that a spiralizer is not required.
Second, my classic recipe for raw zucchini marinara.
Enjoy!
xo
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Hmmm, this actually sounds interesting. I am just no good at making hummus. There are few things I can’t really make and that is one of them. I’ve been so frustrated that I’ve taken a break from hummus altogether as I kept trying new brands and disliking them. This one sounds good! Thanks for sharing Gena.
There is one other shelf-stable hummus that I buy, but I didn’t know that Pacific Foods had one out now as well. If I see it and it’s economically feasible, I’ll give it a shot! I usually use it as a salad dressing. Win-win!
This is a great addition to my “travel” suitcases. I travel a lot and am always looking for foods that I can have out of the suitcase with no or little fuss. This fits the bill.
Absolutely, Carolina! They’re ideal for travel.
Thanks for the zucchini pasta primer. I just ordered a spiralizer after waffling over the decision for quite a few months. I’m shorter than ever on time to make meals from scratch, but vegetable noodles and a sauce are well within my constraints.
Enjoy, Les! It’s on of my favorite kitchen techniques.
What an awesome product for traveling or hiking picnics, wow. Thanks for the review and recipe.
Ooooo love hummus. Got to try this
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I just recently discovered your blog Gena, thanks to Pickles & Honey and also Canned Time. I’m already a fan after reading them praise you so much!
Thanks so much! Welcome, and I look forward to getting to know you better.
This is great! I’m on the lookout for shelf-stable “real” foods I can pack for an upcoming hospital stay when my daughter is born. Hummus would be a great addition to my collection :-).
Good luck with your daughter’s birth, Sarah! And do check the hummus out — it’s very delicious and high quality for a shelf stable product.
Pretty sure nobody needs a recipe for putting hummus on toast.
Pretty sure nobody needs to read rude comments. Don’t come to a food blog if you don’t want recipes.
The recipes look delicious, btw. Hummus on corn chips? Genius! ๐ What brand of English muffins do you buy?
You make the simplest foods look so pretty. I was just on Angela Liddon’s blog this morning, drooling over how amazing she made toast look. Have you seen that post yet? I die. You’re the same, though. You make simplicity drool-worthy. Although even after this positive review, I’m still skeptical to try shelf-stable hummus. I buy a raw hummus from a local company and ever since I tried it for the first time, I can’t eat anything else. It’s so good that it keeps me from making my own hummus at home. But maybe one day when I have kids I’ll put a box of this hummus in their emergency kits for school, haha!
Hummus as a pasta sauce, hummus nachos, why haven’t I thought of these things! Yum.