Roasted Red Pepper Traditional Hummus

Hummus is a traditional Middle Eastern dish.  I grew up eating this as a kid and didn't appreciate it so much back then.  I do now and have it regularly.  I find that it's a great snack or even a quick lunch.  It's also something I pack regularly for my kids lunches.  Some veggies with a 1/2 a cup of this hummus is filling and will keep their blood sugar stable, so they're not famished when they come home at the end of the school day.

I prepare my hummus with chickpeas that I batch cook myself. Cooking chickpeas is quite simple.  They need to be soaked in clean water for 24 hours. Then cooked in fresh water until they can be easily mashed with a fork.  I like to cook them in very large batches and then store them in the freezer in 1 1/2 cup portion sizes.  I do this with various types of beans as well.  The initial preparation is a bit of an investment in time, but makes food prep so much simpler later on. I will write a post one of these days on how to cook beans from scratch. Let me know if this would be helpful for you.  The reason I prefer to cook my beans from scratch is twofold.  The main reason relates to health benefits.  Canned beans (even organic) are under cooked to ensure they don't fall apart when they are canned for long periods of time. If you are using canned beans (and I use them occasionally, when in a bind) you can soak them in water in the fridge for 12-24 hrs to make them more digestible.  Because canned beans are undercooked, we have a difficult time digesting them and this is what leads to gas and bloating.  If beans are cooked properly, gas and bloating will be significantly less. Cooking at home is also more cost effective.  I buy organic beans and it costs me next to nothing compared to what I would pay for canned beans.

Last week I also experimented with making my own tahini and it was so simple it's not even funny. It took my hummus to another level -not kidding.  I will definitely be posting that simple recipe very soon. Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing this recipe.

To make the hummus recipe it's as simple as tossing all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and processing until smooth. I personally prefer to make it in a blender because I like my hummus super smooth. I think that's one of the things I didn't like so much a bout hummus growing up. Sometimes when mom would make it in a food processor, it wouldn't be so smooth and would come out a bit gritty. Making it in a blender ensures a smooth hummus.  You may need to blend or process for 20 seconds or so and then scrape the sides until the hummus is well blended and smooth.  A total blending of a minute or so does it for me.  You can drizzle with some more olive oil, pepper flakes or even more cumin before serving.  That's traditionally how it's served. Or enjoy it as is with some fresh veggies, pita bread or crackers of your choosing.

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Enjoy!!
xx

Lara

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Roasted Red Paper Traditional Hummus

Yield: 2 cups

Author: Lara

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 10 Min

Hummus is a great mid-day snack or even a meal replacement served with a side of fresh veggies.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups of cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 cup of filtered or spring water
• 1/4 cup of tahini
• 1 clove of raw garlic or 2-3 cloves of roasted garlic
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 roasted red pepper with skin removed

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. I prefer using a blender.
2. You can either make it plain by omitting the roasted red peppers or add the peeled and seeded roasted pepper to the blender.

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