Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

A few weeks ago I shared with you some of the great health benefits of beans and vowed to share some recipes with you.  (Check it out here if you missed it!)  Last week I posted a recipe for honey-roasted chick peas.  Today I am sharing another way to enjoy chick peas as a healthy, delicious snack: hummus!

If you're not familiar with hummus, let me get you up to speed.  It is a Middle Eastern dip made of mashed chick peas that is usually accompanied by olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini (sesame paste), and served with pita bread.  And it is awesome!  Add some roasted red peppers, and you have something really special on your hands!  If you aren't a huge bean fan, hummus is a great way to trick yourself into adding beans into your diet.

Like just about everything else I've ever talked about, you can buy hummus at the store, but if you make it yourself it is so much better!  And I promise you can make it yourself faster than you can drive to the store.  I love how easy, versatile, and delicious this recipe is.  Because it is a good source of protein, eat is as a satisfying snack, or even a light meal.  

I'm going to share with you the two steps to making this.  Prepare yourself.  Put about half of a can of chick peas in a food processor with roasted red pepper, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, ground cumin, paprika, and tahini. 

Tahini gives hummus a great authentic flavor, but I have made it without before.  I use jarred roasted red pepper so if I'm not using tahini, I have substituted a mixture of the red pepper juice and a little balsamic vinegar.  But tahini is best!  

Add the rest of the beans and continue to process until smooth. 

Then just refrigerate for at least an hour.  In a pinch you could eat it right then.  It will be good.  But it's even better if you let the flavors meld together for a while.  And that's it.  Seriously.  How many other recipes are this easy, tasty, and healthy?  I love it!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained

3/4 cup roasted red peppers

juice from one lemon

3 Tbsp tahini

3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

salt to taste

Directions:

Puree 1/2 of the beans and remaining ingredients in food processor.  Scrape sides and add the rest of the beans.  Blend until smooth.  Refrigerate at least one hour.