Spicy Red Pepper Hummus and a Movie

Friday night is usually DVD night here, and we normally try to pick something that we can watch as a family. But since our 8-year-old daughter was having a sleep-over at the neighbors', we were able to watch something a little more adult. We chose Hustle & Flow, which we really liked. Terrence Howard's performance was excellent.

Since we were planning to eat in front of the TV, I chose something simple: Spicy Red Pepper Hummus stuffed in whole wheat pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and a few calamata olives.

Here are the ingredients:

3-4 cloves garlic
3 cups (or 2 15-ounce cans) cooked chickpeas
cooking liquid from the beans (or water)
juice of 1/2-1 lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 tsp. cumin
Harrisa, or other hot pepper sauce, to taste*
chipotle chili powder (optional)
salt (to taste)
10 ounce jar of roasted red peppers

Throw the garlic into a running food processor. Add the chickpeas and begin processing. Add the lemon juice and tahini. (I used half of a very large yet mild homegrown lemon. For regular lemons, I'd start with half, check the flavor, and add more if needed.) If needed, add 1/4 cup bean cooking liquid or water, just enough so that the chickpeas become a smooth paste. Add the cumin, the harrisa, chipotle powder, salt, and half of the roasted red peppers. Process until smooth. Taste for spiciness and add more harrisa as needed.

Add the remaining roasted red peppers and pulse to coarsely chop. Enjoy as a dip or sandwich filling!

*Harrisa (also spelled harissa) is a Tunisian hot pepper sauce. I buy the Ziyad brand in a local Middle Eastern grocery store. If you can't find harrisa, feel free to use any other spicy pepper sauce you have on hand. I started with a teaspoon of sauce and kept adding until it reached the spiciness we like, probably about 2 teaspoons. I also used about 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder just to increase the smoky flavor. Play with the seasonings and adjust them to your tastes.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food