Today is the last day of winter and, fittingly, the sun is shining and it’s 70 degrees outside. But just a few weeks ago, we were buried in two feet of snow, see photo, below.
Because I work as a writer, cold winters offer the perfect excuse to hibernate. It’s easy to sit inert all day, eat whatever food lies conveniently at hand—and pack on the pounds.
That’s why I try to have healthy foods ready when hunger strikes. Hummus, a Middle Eastern chickpea spread, is one of our family’s favorite nutritious snacks.
Paired with whole grain crackers or carrot sticks, hummus makes a delicious, protein-rich munchie or appetizer.
While this recipe uses roasted peppers, feel free to leave them out and play around with spices and other flavorings. You’ll get entirely new taste sensations when you combine some of the following ingredients in your hummus:
- Minced jalapeno pepper
- Crushed red pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Finely grated lemon zest
- Whole cumin seed
- Whole coriander
- Tahini
- Fresh cilantro
If you have a crockpot, throw a pound of rinsed chickpeas into the pot, add a teaspoon of salt and cover with water. Let the cooker simmer the peas while you get on with your day.
When they’re in season, you might want to try roasting your own peppers—it’s far easier than you imagine.
But don’t feel guilty in the least about using canned chickpeas and jarred peppers that let you put this dip together in minutes—and enjoy it all year long.
Roasted Pepper Hummus Recipe
2 cups cooked chickpeas—reserve ½ cup chickpeas’ cooking liquor or juice from can
1 large or 2 small roasted peppers
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons whole cumin seed or 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Combine chickpeas, peppers, garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper, cumin and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding chickpea cooking liquor to thin hummus, if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Store in tightly covered container in fridge. Serve with pita bread, crackers or raw vegetables.
Serves 6.
Roasted Pepper Hummus Recipe – Copywriters’ Kitchen