I admit, I'm hooked on hummus. This Levantine dish is such a nutritious, healthful snack and I can literally eat tubs of it. Like most people, I used to buy the ready-made variety until I started reading the labels more closely and noticing all sorts of preservatives, additives and artificial ingredients I didn't recognize. I did some research and found that making ones own hummus is, in fact, ridiculously easy. It tastes so much better and fresher when you can control the quality of the ingredients and it's completely vegan. Best of all, it requires no cooking, proving that some of the nicest things in life are often the simplest!
It's not an exact science, so adapt proportions to your own tastes but here's how I make my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus:
- 1 can of chick peas/ garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed but save some of the liquid and a few whole beans to garnish)
- A couple of dollops of tahini (you can buy this in a jar. It's basically sesame seed paste)
- Juice of one lemon
- A few spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil
- A couple of cloves of garlic (I like the caramelly sweetness of roasted garlic so I roast them in a hot oven for a few minutes, but you can use them raw if you prefer)
- A piece of flame roasted red pepper/ capsicum (again, you can buy this in a jar if you don't want to roast your own)
- Salt
- Paprika or chilli powder
Puree all the ingredients in a blender or food processor with a few splashes of the chick pea liquid. I use the NutriBullet, which is my current favourite new appliance (and what I use to make vegetable blasts). Don't blend it too smoothly — the paste should be a bit coarse. If it's too dry, add more of the chick pea liquid.
Garnish with leftover whole beans, drizzle with more olive oil and dust with the paprika or chilli powder.
I like eating mine with rice crackers, vegetable sticks and the theme from Lawrence of Arabia playing in the background.
Let me know how yours turns out.
