Mike Cheliak: Photography, Fitness, Nutrition and Life

Mediterranean Hummus

Written by Mike Cheliak on April 30, 2009 – 11:30 am -

I myself love hot and spicy food and my Habanero Hummusis my absolute FAVE!  My honey and kiddies however like hummus but are not hot and spicy fans.  through trial and tasting, I came up with my version of a Mediterranean sytle hummus.  If you are like me, you will want to play with the ingredients as well.  Just have fun and use your imagination if you want to add or adjust anything.  Hummus is very forgiving and quite easy to make and manipulate.

 

 

Ingredients
1/4  cup  chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1/4  cup  pitted kalamata olives
1/4  cup fresh lemon juice
1/4  cup tahini butter
1 head roasted garlic* plus 2 cloves fresh
2  teaspoons  extra virgin olive oil
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
2  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained (retain 1/2 cup of the liquid)

Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides of processor bowl once. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.  You can use a little chick pea liquid to “loosen” the dip if it is too thick.  Serve with pita points or fresh veggies.

*Roasted Garlic- Take a head of garlic, hold it on its side and using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the top of the head just to expose all the cloves and be careful not to take too much off.  Place the garlic on a foil lined tray and pour 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil on top.  Place in a pre-heated 300 degree toaster oven (or regular oven) and roast for approximately one hour.  Let cool slightly and then squeeze like toothpaste into a glass bowl.  Take out any garlic skin that falls off.  I use this for tonnes of stuff like roasted garlic parmesan dressing, as a spread or in any kind of sauce.  It’s great with roasted brie and toast points for a treat!

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