The boys get off the bus in the afternoon saying the exact same thing every day.
“Mom, what’s for snack?”
They are my children, so of course they have food on the brain.
Ever since the boys were toddlers I have joked with Michael that one day they would all be teenagers, and when that day came they would have to get part-time jobs to help pay the grocery bills. Three hungry boys will become three hungry young men, ravenously going through all the food in the house in between school and wherever they have to go after. So teaching them to snack healthy has been one of my missions, with protein-rich hummus high on the healthy snacks list.
We always have hummus in the refrigerator ready for anyone that has the munchies. In the summer I make this roasted red pepper hummus with our homegrown roasted or grilled peppers, and in the winter I use bottled peppers. Both work well, though the bottled peppers are usually stored in brine and tend to be a little salty, so adjust the salt accordingly.
Recipe Notes:
The flavor is best with garbanzo beans cooked at home, but you can use a 15-ounce (425 g) can of garbanzo beans in a pinch. Just rinse and drain well before using.
For the olive oil, I use the packing oil from the roasted peppers to bring out even more of the roasted pepper flavor.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups cooked garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 3 tablespoons sesame tahini
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ((or more to taste))
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 4 ounces extra virgin olive oil ((or more to taste))
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- In the bowl of the food processor, add the garbanzo beans, sesame tahini, lemon juice, 4 cloves of garlic, and the roasted red pepper. Pulse a few times to get the mixture going, then add 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Process until almost smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sea salt, black pepper, and more olive oil as desired, and process until smooth, about 1 to 2 more minutes. Taste, and then add the rest of the garlic plus additional sea salt and black pepper as desired. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container. Will keep for up to five days.
This is one of my favorite hummus variations. I make a big batch of chickpeas in the pressure cooker, and divide it into several different types of hummus.
Hi Lydia. We love the pressure cooker for big batches of beans. It works so well and the beans taste better than canned.