I am a huge fan of HUMMUS and pretty much like almost any flavor and kind, but nothing compares to making it yourself. It’s really amazing how quick and simple it is. Honestly, homemade hummus is so easy and delicious to make, there’s no reason not to try it yourself!
The Flavor Choice is Yours!
The best part about homemade hummus is that you can flavor it any way you like. Try a little roasted garlic, sun dried tomato & olive, or jalapeño cilantro. The choices are endless. One of my favorite recipes for hummus is with roasted red peppers, so that is what I did this time. Roasted Red Pepper and Green Onion Hummus.
Dried or Canned – It’s all Good!
I happened to have some dried chickpeas in the fridge so I soaked them overnight and cooked them to use in my hummus. I often make hummus with canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) as well, so not to worry if you don’t have the dried version. It will still be substantially better than anything you would buy in the store ready-made!
ROASTED RED PEPPER AND GREEN ONION HUMMUS
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas (results in 3 cups cooked chickpeas) OR 2-15 oz cans chickpeas (this will give you a little more than 3 cups but you can use some as garnish or save for a salad)
- 3 medium red bell peppers
- 3 green onions, sliced white and light green parts only
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil plus extra for serving and basting peppers
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/2 – 1 tsp Kosher salt to taste
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Directions
- Soak 1 cup dry chickpeas overnight in a bowl of water about 2 inches above the top of the beans. Rinse and place in a medium saucepan with fresh water again about 2 inches above the beans. Heat to simmer and cook for about an hour or until the beans are tender. Add more water if needed as it cooks down. Alternately use canned chickpeas and drain & rinse well, reserving the extra above 3 cups for garnish or another use.
- Coat the outside of the peppers lightly in olive oil and grill or broil until blackened on all sides. Immediately place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let cool for 10-15 minutes and then remove the skin with your hands. Discard skin, stems, seeds and membranes and cut peppers into large pieces.
- Place the tahini and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the garlic, green onions, 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, cumin and cayenne and process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom with spatula and process for another 30 seconds or until mixed well. Add 1/2 of the chickpeas and blend for 1 minute, scraping as needed. Add the other half of the chickpeas and blend for another minute. Add the red peppers and blend until smooth. Salt to taste and season with extra lemon juice or oil as needed for the correct flavor and consistency.
- Place the hummus in a storage container. I like to cover the top of the hummus in plastic wrap so that it touches the surface. This keeps it from drying and looking discolored on the edges. Cover with the container top and refrigerate until cool.
- When ready to serve, heat about 1 Tbsp oil in a small fry pan. Add pine nuts and cook until just barely turning golden. Immediately remove from heat and pour into a ramekin to cool. Top the hummus with the oil coated pine nuts, drizzling extra pine nut oil on top. Serve with vegetables and pita chips.
Note: Hummus can also be used as a sandwich spread, on burgers or other grilled meat sandwiches, in deviled eggs, with pasta, spread on bagels, as a sauce for kabobs and countless other ways!
What other ways can you think of to use hummus? I’d love to hear from you!
(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Appetizers)