CHEERY CHICKPEAS

The cheery ole' chickpea is a pretty versatile ingredient, but hands down its most popular use is in hummus. What was once reserved for Greek or Middle Eastern cuisine is now readily available in almost every supermarket in America.

I love hummus for its variety of uses, as a dip or as a condiment. It comes in all sorts of flavors & colors, so finding one to fit your tastes won't be hard. One of my favorite restaurant appetizers is MEDITERRANEAN HUMMUS. Loaded with fresh toppings like cucumber & tomato, it's a feast for your eyes & your taste buds.

I like that everything can be prepared ahead of time, so this makes a great appetizer for entertaining guests at your next party or adding to your Holiday spread. Besides the roasted garlic, this dish requires no cooking which is perfect when oven & stove top space is limited. I made the hummus from scratch, which is well worth the extra 10 minutes of time it took to make. If in a pinch, a good store bought version topped with fresh ingredients would work great too.

This is a must try recipe & I know you'll enjoy it just as much as its restaurant counterpart.

MEDITERRANEAN HUMMUS

15oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

2 cloves roasted garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt + pepper to taste

3 tablespoons water

dash of paprika for serving

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

8 cherry tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup feta, crumbled

1 green onion, sliced

2-3 cloves roasted garlic

For the roasted garlic, slice off the very top of an entire bulb. Drizzle the cut side with olive oil & cover in foil. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until garlic is soft & slightly carmelized.

In a food processor, combine the lemon juice & tahini. Pulse for 1 minute to combine. Add the olive oil, roasted garlic, cumin, & dash of salt. Pulse again.

Add half of the chickpeas & process for 1 minute. Scrape the sides & add the rest of the chickpeas. Process for another minute or so.

At this point, the hummus will still be pretty thick & have chunks of chickpeas. To get the perfect smooth & creamy consistency, turn the food processor on drizzle in 2 tablespoons water. Check your hummus & add more water if needed. Season with salt + pepper.

Pour the hummus is bowl for serving or store in an airtight container in fridge for up to one week.

This hummus is great on its own, but I like to make this Mediterranean & add lots of delicious toppings. I added diced cucumber, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (roma works great too), feta cheese, sliced green onion, & roasted garlic cloves.

Serve with pita chips, veggies, or homemade toasted pita. Just drizzle wedges of pita with olive oil, salt + pepper & bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until crisp.

Enjoy!