When I asked Nick what he wanted from the grocery store this week, he requested “healthy snacks,” which is not a request I usually get from him. Healthy snacks to me means vegetables, but I knew he wouldn’t eat them plain. My sister, Jaki, went on a homemade hummus kick not too long ago, so I figured I’d give that a whirl… much more appealing than plain veggies!
One of the main ingredients in hummus is tahini, a sesame seed paste (think peanut butter made out of sesame seeds). I didn’t have any tahini and, not surprisingly, the grocery store in Enid, Oklahoma, did not have any either. A little research and I discovered that natural peanut butter could be substituted. That’s the kind of peanut butter I use anyways, so I just happened to have some! Crisis averted.
Spicy Hummus
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tahini (or natural peanut butter)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- few shakes cayenne pepper
- salt & pepper, to taste
Combine chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in food processor.
Process until almost blended, adding extra olive oil to desired thickness.
Add spices, and continue processing until everything is mixed well.
That’s it! Super easy. Plate it up and serve with veggies or pita wedges. Garnishes are optional, but since I have a lot of free time these days, I like to make my food extra pretty.
This was yummy… Nick picked out the lemon flavor right away (yes, he asked “Is there something citrusy in here?” even though there was a lemon sitting right on top. Let’s hope he’s a little more observant when flying planes). The spices all worked really well together, too. And even though I had to use peanut butter, you really couldn’t tell.
We’re almost done unpacking… we finally unpacked Kaiser today, so now he’s out chasing squirrels.
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