Red Roasted Pepper Hummus

For one of my classes this week, we had to do a food demo.  Each group had to create a delicious, heart healthy dish, and be able to demonstrate at least part of it in class before handing out samples (and this is why I love learning about food all day!).  One of my friends in my group immediately suggested a roasted red pepper hummus and sent around a recipe.

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical at first.  I should confess here that I've never made hummus before.  Why? Because I've seen too many lumpy versions and had too many delicious store bought or take out recipes to think it was really worth the time and effort of scraping down the bowl a million times.  That, and I have no desire to peel the chickpeas to get a smooth hummus.  I'm sure it does wonders, but I just don't have the time.  Since it was my job to price out the recipe and do the nutrient analysis on it, I decided to make a batch at home to try out the recipe myself.  Due to my lack of a scale for some of the measurements from the original recipe, my version of it differed slightly, as it usually does.  But that's ok because OMG this hummus is good.

With just one little added step of blending the tahini and lemon juice before adding anything else, you can get a smooth, flavor-packed hummus all on your own.  I also think the liquid from the red pepper itself help smooth everything out.  Whatever the reason, this recipe came out perfectly smooth and absolutely delicious. Personally, I plan of pairing this with veggies for a snack, or slathering it on my sandwiches. However you decide to eat it, you should definitely try it out!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Makes 2 cups, serves 16 (2 tablespoons per serving)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons tahini
Juice of half a lemon
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 clove garlic
1 large roasted red pepper

Directions:

1. Measure out tahini and lemon juice and add to a food processor. Process for up to a minute until the mixture is fluffy and well blended.

2. Add in all remaining ingredients and process until smooth and well incorporated.  It should only take about a minute.

3. Serve cold or room temperature with chips, crackers, or vegetables such as snap peas, carrots, or celery.

Enjoy!