Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Have you ever fallen in love with a recipe?

I am truly, madly, deeply infatuated with this red pepper hummus 
that I found over at Inspired Taste.

 I've made it twice in the last month, 

and it's going to keep showing up in my refrigerator, 

I can tell you that.

You may remember that I first attempted hummus several weeks ago 
when I made Avocado Hummus.

Well, I had this big honkin' jar of tahini in the fridge,

which was ridiculously expensive,

and I wasn't about to let it go to waste.

Plus, once I tried home-made hummus,

there was no turning back to store-bought.
You can be sure that if I prefer to make homemade versus
buying it, it's GOT to be EASY. 

One reason this hummus is so outstanding is the consistency.

I suggest you read Inspired Taste's post on the 
simple secret to making good hummus, here. 

I really do think it made a difference.

The other reason is that there is a little cumin,
and a pinch of cayenne pepper in the hummus, 
which adds just the right amount of zip to it.

The original recipe calls for home-made roasted red peppers.

Even though that is not a hard thing to make,

I opted to use jarred roasted peppers, 

because if I can skip a step, I'm going to do it, lazy cook that I am.

I can only imagine how delicious it is with home-made roasted peppers, 

and I vow that someday, I will try it that way. 

I will give you the recipe the way I made it;

if you want to roast your own peppers, click here.  

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Recipe by Inspired Taste

3/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers, plus a tablespoon more for garnish
1 15-oz. can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 whole lemon)

1/4 cup tahini

Half a large garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper (optional) 
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on your taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine lemon juice and tahini. Process for one minute. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl; then turn on and process another 30 seconds. This will make the hummus smooth and creamy.

Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper to whipped lemon juice and tahini. Process for 30 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl; then turn on and process another 30 seconds. 

Drain canned chickpeas and rinse well with cold water. Add half the chickpeas to the food processor and process for one minute.  Scrape bottom and sides of bowl; add remaining chickpeas and process for another one to two minutes until thick and quite smooth.

Add peppers to hummus and process for one to two minutes, or until smooth. 

If the hummus is too thick or still has pieces of chickpeas, slowly add one to three tablespoons of water until consistency is perfect (I did not have to add any water; it was perfect without).

For garnish, finely chop reserved peppers. Scrape hummus into serving bowl, make a small well in the middle and add diced peppers. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Store hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week. 

Enjoy!

Linking with:
 Wow Us Wednesday
Wake Up Wednesday 
Home Sweet Home 
Foodie Friday 
Let's Get Real  
Feathered Nest Friday
Weekend Bloggy Reading 
Tweak It Tuesday