Unique's Perfect Red Pepper Hummus Dip

Ingredients: 

• 6 oz jarred roasted red peppers, about 1 cup 

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas 

• 1 large clove garlic, peeled 

• Sea salt 

• 1-2 ice cubes- if eating fats, add in tahini or olive oil.

• Veggies, toast, or crackers, for serving 

• Fresh herbs such as basil or cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish, optional 

Method: 

Add the peppers, chickpeas, and garlic to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. If your dip is very thick and won’t blend, add an ice cube and blend. Add a second if needed. Season with salt to taste. 

Top with fresh herbs if desired and serve with veggies on the side. 

Variations: 

Roast your own peppers. Add 2 red peppers to a baking dish and coat with a very light drizzle of olive oil. Roast at 400°F until the peppers are soft and have started to release their juices, about 30 minutes. Don’t worry if the skins char a little, this is normal. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before removing the skin, stem, and seeds. Proceed with recipe as normal. 

Swap roasted garlic for fresh garlic. Cut a whole, large head of garlic crosswise and drizzle with ¼ tsp of olive oil. Envelope the garlic in a piece of parchment or tinfoil. Roast at 400°F until garlic is soft, has started to caramelize, and is very fragrant, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before squeezing the garlic cloves from their shells. Add the roasted garlic into the dip in replacement for the raw garlic. Proceed with the recipe as normal. 

Add cumin or coriander, or both. Blend a ¼ - ½ tsp of ground cumin or coriander into the dip. This variation also tastes great with 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar added in place of one ice cube. 

Enjoy!

Unique