Avocado Hummus

I made this yummy avocado hummus from Lee@Fit Foodie Finds for an afternoon snack. I was intrigued by the recipe because I'd never heard of avocado hummus, but since I am an avocado freak and love any type of hummus, I was excited to try it.

After tasting it all mixed together, I decided to add in chopped cilantro and was glad I did. It adds a little extra pop of fresh flavor. I served the hummus with Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips. Those things are the bomb diggity! Perfect with this creamy avocado hummus.

Avocado Hummus

From Lee@Fit Foodie Finds

Printable Version

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados

1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed

1/4 cup tahini

2 cloves of garlic

Juice from 1 lime

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions

In a food processor mix together all ingredients except cilantro for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. 

You will want to stop the processor and scrape the sides a few times. 

Scoop into a serving bowl and garnish entire bowl with the cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips or raw veggies. Lee also recommends using this hummus as a sandwich spread in place of mayonnaise or spread on top of toasted bread. Yum!

Horseradish Hummus

During a recent trip to Trader Joe's  I made a very good decision when I bought TJ's Horseradish Hummus. I usually go with roasted red pepper or the hummus with little pinenuts on top, but I thought I'd get a little crazy and try horseradish. Ooooooh my, it was so fantastic! Super zippy, tangy hummus. I was so sad when it was all gone that I had to make my own version at home the next week.

Horseradish Hummus

From 28 Cooks

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 can (15.5 ounce) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini

3 tablespoons freshly ground horseradish

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers, pita chips, and fresh veggies or as a spread on sandwiches!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

After I realized how easy hummus was to make last year, I decided I needed to try to make red pepper hummus because it's my favorite flavor of hummus. When my sister in law was visiting last week it was the perfect time to give it a whirl because she is a veggie lover like me. We ate this hummus with pretzels, pita chips, and on top of our salads. Super yummy and healthy!


Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Adapted from All Recipes.com
Makes 4 cups
Printable Version

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
1 (15) ounce cans garbanzo beans
2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup roasted red peppers
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
In an electric food processor combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add in red peppers and olive oil and process until the peppers are finely chopped. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.

Hummus

When my Mom flew in later in the evening this week, I thought that this Hummus Recipe from Good Things Catered would be a perfect little snack once we got home. Katie warns you that there is no "recipe" for hummus and that it may take several attempts at Hummus before mastering the correct flavors. For my first batch I thought it was pretty good! I will probably cut down on the garlic next time and would love to try a roasted red pepper variation too. It was a good use of the tahini I had left over from my Sesame Noodles and when served with fresh veggies and toasted pita bread, hummus is always a delicious and healthy snack to munch on.  

Hummus

Adapted from Good Things Catered

Ingredients:

1 can of chick peas 

1 - 2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 teaspoons + of Tahini (Sesame Paste)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

Drain the water from the can of chick peas into a small bowl and reserve. In a food processor (or blender) mix together the chick peas with the rest of the ingredients, being careful to add the second half of the lemon juice and tahini slowly as you stop to taste.

Slowly add in some of the reserved liquid from the beans and a bit of water for correct consistency until a smooth, slightly fluid paste is formed.

Refrigerate for at least 3o minutes before serving. This changes the taste of the hummus by allowing the flavors to form together.

Note: To dress the hummus up for the table, add an extra drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle paprika and chopped parsley on top. 

Sesame Noodles

I've been wanting to try a recipe with tahini for a while now. Tahini is a Middle Eastern paste made from sesame seeds and olive oil. After two failed attempts and scouring every aisle in my local grocery stores, I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to find any tahini, but thankfully I enlisted the help of a employee at Harris Teeter who found it among the Jewish food. It is a large jar that is fairly expensive...I think we paid around $8, but wow, is it worth it!! It is like a runny peanut butter, but with a rich sesame taste and it was definitely the star in this recipe. This is one of my favorite things I have made so far in my food blogging career. The blend of peanut butter, tahini, sesame oil, and rice vinegar make a smooth and creamy sauce and the crunch of the green onions and sesame seeds on top of the carrots and pasta make this dish delicious comfort food. 

I whole heartedly recommend that the next time you are at the grocery you ask where the tahini is. Definitely ask - don't waste a ton of time searching for it like me! Now that I have a whole lot of leftover tahini, I am going to try to find  more recipes that use it, , so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!!

Sesame Noodles

From Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
1 (8oz) package whole wheat thin spaghetti
1 large carrot, ends removed and sliced into thin matchsticks
1 heaping Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp good quality sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
6 green onions, sliced thinly, dark green ends removed
2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine tahini, peanut butter, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and green onions. Stir to combine well and set aside. In last 2 minutes of cooking time, add carrot pieces to boiling water. Remove 1 c. pasta water from pan and set aside. Drain pasta and carrots and place into large bowl along with other ingredients. Add 1/2 of reserved pasta water and toss to combine all ingredients. Add sesame seeds, let sit for 1 minute and add additional pasta water to obtain desired consistency. Serve warm or cold.