Hummus kicked to the curb!

Chick Peas

I finally found some dried chick peas at the supermarket and wanted to make some hummus. I haven’t made some in a while, and I like to soak the beans myself. If you haven’t noticed I have the DIY gene really bad! Wanted to make hummus but with the new added twist (or not so new) of sundried tomato hummus, rosemary & garlic hummus, and red pepper hummus. The latter didn’t get made due to the heat, I wasn’t about to turn the oven on to roast the red peppers. But I did manage to make three batches and I must admit………plain hummus has been kicked to the curb. I LOVED the sundried tomato hummus. Since I love red peppers better than sundried tomato, I can only imagine how much I am going to love the pepper one. But for now, I highly recommend some wonderful spread for a vegetable platter or a light late night supper.

I have been putting in the hours and with the sun setting so late I don’t realize it’s 10pm before I’ve eaten dinner. Not wanting something heavy or cooked, this was perfect. I used the bell peppers for dipping along with some celery, carrot and lettuce wraps. Perfect late night supper, not to mention healthy. Need I say anything else. Do yourself a favor and substitute hummus spread on your sandwiches too. Healthier than mayo and less fattening.

Soaked Chick Peas

Soak  your chick peas overnight and make sure you add enough pure filtered water for when the beans expand. They use a lot! Rinse and cook for 25-35 minutes or until soft and tender.

Cooked Beans

As you can see they really can make a mess. But oh so worth it!

This turned out so incredibly good that I used it on sandwiches as well. You could even garnish with the basil but I couldn’t wait!!

Roasted Garlic, Rosemary & Hummus Recipe
(Original recipe) From Gimme Some Oven blog

Ingredients:

Rosemary & Garlic Hummus

• 1 (15 oz.) can hummus drained (juice reserved)
• 1 head of roasted garlic
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. tahini
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• juice of half a lemon

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth.  Add in a few tablespoons of the reserved hummus juice (or water) until the hummus reaches your desired consistency.  Drizzle with an extra teaspoon of olive oil and/or extra

Rosemary & Garlic Hummus

rosemary for garnish if you’d like.

This would make an awesome Chicken and rosemary sandwich or Portabello Mushroom and Cheese sandwiches.

Classic Hummus Recipe
(Original recipe) From Gimme Some Oven blog

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2-3 Tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 cup water (or the leftover chickpea juice from the can)
• optional toppings: more olive oil, chopped fresh Italian-leaf parsley, paprika (or smoked paprika), and/or toasted pine nuts

Method:

Classic Hummus Topped with Pine Nuts

Add first seven ingredients (chickpeas thru salt/pepper) to a food processor, and blend until smooth.  Add in the water (or chickpea juice) and continue blending until it reaches your desired consistency.

Garnish with optional toppings, and serve or refrigerate.

We listened to some Nora Jones “Feels LIke Home” and sat on the patio and watched the sun finish setting. Ahhhh nothing like watching the corn grow……if you have corn that is!

Bon Appetit!