Sweet Pepper Hummus with Homemade Tahini

In my kitchen, I general employ the practice of cooking once and eating 3 or 4 times from the original food initiative.

Yesterday was no exception. I cooked a roast of beef in my slow cooker and I grilled lots of vegetables including a selection of sweet peppers. I let the sweet peppers chill in my refrigerator overnight. This morning, I used them to make sweet pepper hummus, a fantastic dip that's dairy-free and gluten-free.

Tools Needed:

1. a food processor;
2. a fine mesh strainer;
3. a spatula;
4. a spoon;
5. a frying pan;
6. a selection of measuring cups and spoons;
7. and a serving container for the finished dip.

Ingredients:

1 540 ml can of chick peas, well drained

1/4 cup of sesame seeds

1/8 cup of lemon juice

4 tbsp of extra light olive oil

2 grilled or roasted red peppers

1 clove of minced garlic

1/2 tsp of cumin

1/2 tsp of paprika

1/4 tsp of Cayenne pepper 

1/4 tsp, plus a pinch of pink Himalayan salt

Directions:

Start by making Tahini. I toasted my sesame seeds in a frying pan on my stove top. This lets you stir them and watch them. They can burn really quickly and you want them to be gently toasted, so remove them from the heat as soon as they start to turn brown.

Toasting sesame seeds usually only takes 2-3 minutes. Swirl them in the pan to keep them gently moving.

Let the seeds cool for 5 minutes and then add them to a food processor with 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Blend the seeds until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

(This is Tahini.)

Next, Add chick peas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and minced garlic to a food processor and blend. Stop the processor after a minute and scrape down the sides.

Rinse your chickpeas really well.

The juice of one lemon or 1/8th of a cup.

Blend well and remember to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl down so that the mixture will blend evenly.

Add sweet red peppers, cumin, paprika, salt and Cayenne pepper to the mixture and blend again. You will have to stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl 2 or 3 times during this process.

Blend until the entire mixture is smooth.

Pour the dip into a serving dish and refrigerate until ready to eat.

A closer look.

The dip will last for 7 days refrigerated. This recipe makes 2 cups of dip. 

It's great served with raw vegetables, crackers, or it can be used as a salad topping.

I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey.

~Rebecca Ryan