Tag Archive: Hummus

3 Favorite Dips

The funny thing about being a food blogger is that you make recipes for 4 or 8 or 12 and sometimes end up eating them all by yourself. That’s not a problem when the recipe’s good at least.

All of these dips I can say I’ve eaten half to entire portions of(not in one sitting… usually) and yet I keep making them again and again. They tend to get a lot of hits from Pinterest or Facebook because of how quick and easy they are—two things I always look for in recipes, too—so I thought I’d share them again because you can never have too much of a good thing.

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Fruity Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip—Is it yogurt? Is it a spread? It’s somewhere in between; it’s a dip and a tasty one at that. But my favorite thing about this recipe isn’t how easy it is. It’s how many different ways you can make it. I’ve had this with strawberry yogurt, vanilla yogurt, and plain yogurt with nutella and each time it comes out equally good. But as fun as it is as a dip it’s usually always better with a spoon so keep that in mind.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus—Out of all the times I’ve put beans into a dessert, this is probably the weirdest but also the tastiest. The texture and flavor is a lot like raw cookie dough except without all of the flour, refined sugars, and raw eggs. I’ve been obsessed lately with using this in place of peanut butter in pb&j sandwiches; if you’ve never tried something like this you’d be surprised how much you’ll love it.

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Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip—Finally something savory. I made this dip for Superbowl Sunday and have wanted to make it every weekend since. It’s creamy, spicy, and a little tangy all at once. If you’re a new vegetarian or still love eating meat you won’t know the chicken is gone at all. The next day put the leftovers into some warm tortillas and you’ll have a whole new meal.

Enjoy! I hope you’ll find one you like.

The Most Popular Recipes Of 2011

Life’s a bit of a popularity contest; I’m not delusioned into thinking otherwise. And so, instead of me telling you what my favorite recipes have been so far, I figured it’d be more useful to show you the recipes you all picked as the best—the popular crowd.

These are my 5 most visited recipes over the past year. Rereading the comments on all of these posts, I’m shocked by how many people tried(and loved) them. It makes me happy since I loved all of these, too. Hopefully as popular as they are you’ll find one that’s new to you and be inspired to try it out like others have.

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These Raw Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Cakes blew up on stumbleupon. With almost 40,000 views and a couple hundred likes, it’s been a huge hit for plenty of foodies. But don’t think it’s just for raw vegans; this tastes delicious no matter who you are(even the avocado frosting, which I swear you won’t be able to taste anything funny in).

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Healthy Frozen Smore Parfaits were a huge hit on Pinterest over the Summer. I have to say I made these more times than I can count myself; they were the perfect way to beat the Summer heat with 2 servings of fruit in each serving. 

If you’ve ever googled “Almond Flour Cookies”, you’ve probably landed on these Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies. It’s one of my most visited daily pages and has been visited even more frequently in the past few weeks; looks like a lot of people will be having gluten-free holidays. The best thing about these is that you probably already have all the ingredients for them in your pantry. 

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To this day I’m surprised by how often this Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip is pinned on Pinterest. If everyone who pinned this onto a board called “NEED TO MAKE!!” actually has—well that would be a lot of peanut butter. Apparently it’s a big hit with little kids, which I can understand since I love it and am pretty much just a big kid at heart.  

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This Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus is probably my most made recipe judging by the comments and testaments I’ve gotten. If you’re still afraid of the idea of a sweet hummus, trust the hundreds of people who tried it and know that you can’t taste anything but goodness.

Here’s to 2012 being an even tastier year.

Go-To Hummus Recipe

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This weekend was a rush. When everyone else was loading up on food to brace for Hurricane Irene, we were loading up on food for a neighborhood party. I made a few things including hummus, because what’s a party without hummus? Ain’t no party like a hummus party ‘cause a hummus party don’t stop.

My favorite hummus recipe isn’t very fancy. It doesn’t have red pepper or pine nuts or artichokes or whatever. It’s just a trusty, reliable, go-to garlic hummus. What really helps enhance the flavor is a hefty dose of salt, good olive oil, and peeled chickpeas.

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Peeling chickpeas is a little tip I learned from bloggers for a smoother, creamier hummus. It takes a lot more time and it’s kind of a gross process, but once you taste hummus made with peeled chickpeas it’s hard to justify going back to “regular”. If you don’t have time, don’t worry and skip it.

Go-To Hummus Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes(plus way more if you decide to peel the chickpeas)

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and peeled(optional but recommended)
  • 6 roasted garlic cloves
  • 2 Tablespoons tahini
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil(preferably Greek)
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Method:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add extra water if desired for a slightly thinner consistency.
  2. Serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in a refrigerator. 

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I added a little bit of Garlic Gold on top for some added crunch and texture. It was a neighborhood party and there was a storm keeping everyone inside; garlic breath was not a big concern.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

May 1st 074

Whenever there’s a sale on hummus, I always pick up the roasted red pepper flavor, because that’s the one I’ve never made myself.

Now I don’t have to think that way any more. After getting the tahini and red pepper, I was determined to figure out how they make the prepackaged hummus taste so good. It turns out it’s not that difficult! This hummus comes out nice and creamy. It’d be even better with peeled chickpeas but I wasn’t looking to impress anyone. You can even make it for date night to because there’s no garlic; hummus lovers rejoice!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1 roasted red pepper with the skin peeled
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

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For the roasted pepper, heat an oven to 425 degrees. Cut the pit out of the pepper and lay it on a baking tray. Brush the pepper with olive oil and roast it for 15-20 minutes until the skin starts to blister away. Let the pepper cool before trying to peel off the skin.

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Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until the hummus is completely smooth.

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Move into a bowl to serve or store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a week.

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Serve with pita or crudités.

Sweet Beet Hummus

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This recipe would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Or for a Pepto-Bismol themed brunch. After the last hummus recipe I wanted something that didn’t quite have the same overpowering savory taste of olives and garlic that instead would be suited for Springtime. This is definitely the kind of hummus I’d plop on a salad and eat with vegetables since the flavor is so light. It’ll definitely draw eyes with a color like that.

Sweet Beet Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup beets, loosely cut
  • 1/2 Tablespoon vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • ~2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons honey

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Pour the chickpeas into the food processor.

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Add in the beets, honey, and salt and begin to blend. While blending, slowly pour in the vinegar and olive oil until the hummus becomes smooth and runny.

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I’m not sure if it can cure nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, or diarrhea, but if you’re eating hummus to begin with that’s a pretty good start towards your health.

Black Olive Hummus

April 10th 020

Get the Altoids ready because this one’s a nightmare on your breath but it’s worth it.

Chickpeas and olives are two of my favorite foods; I think they deserve their own food group. This has a strong flavor of a tapenade but with all the creaminess of a hummus. It’s definitely a winning potluck recipe.

Black Olive Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Dumb the chickpeas into a food processor.

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Add in the olives, garlic, and salt and begin to process.

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As the hummus is blending, slowly pour in the vinegar and olive oil until it takes on a smooth consistency.

Garnish with sliced olives to warn any olive haters.

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Somebody pass the [gluten-free] pita because it’s on.

Overwhelmed

March 13th 027

I’m overwhelmed by the number of comments on this post.

I’m overwhelmed by the number of you who have tried this recipe and told me you love it.

And after not having made this recipe for 3+ months, I’m overwhelmed by how delicious it still is.

A lot of people have asked if you have to peel the chickpeas, which can feel overwhelming given how many there are to peel. The answer is no, you don’t have to peel them for this recipe any more than you do for any hummus recipe. But peeling the chickpeas will make any hummus incredibly smooth and is worth the effort in my opinion.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus(Original post)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

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Add all the ingredients into the food processor(I used some brown sugar because I was low on maple syrup).

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Puree until smooth.

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Add the chocolate chips and fold them in.

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I’d like to be able to suggest serving this with banana chips, graham crackers, Nilla wafers, or something else fun. But really the only way I can suggest is with a spoon.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to go be overwhelmed by how much hummus I can eat in one sitting.

Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

January 11th 125

It’s back! After I tried my last batch of dessert hummus, I was eager to make a new flavor. A lot of you pointed out that it looks(and tastes!) like cookie dough. Well, one of my favorite cookies is the classic snickerdoodle; I love the cinnamon sugar crunch on the outside. And since cinnamon, almonds, and chickpeas all share an earthy flavor, I had a feeling this would work out. And it did!

Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of chickpeas, drained and washed
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • cinnamon sugar for garnish

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Peel your chickpeas(recommended) and add them in a food processor with the almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

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Process for about 30 seconds to a minute, until all the ingredients have mixed and the dip is smooth.

Move to a serving bowl and garnish with cinnamon sugar on top.

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The obvious question is “How do you serve this?” Well, I would lay it out on a platter with

  • graham crackers
  • apple slice
  • baby carrots
  • cinnamon pita chips
  • mini-chocolate bars

I have to admit that my favorite way to eat these are a spoon; that’s the benefit of cooking for yourself alone.

We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident

January 11th 148

That silken tofu does not work as an egg substitution in these brownies. You know what does work after you’ve decided all you want is a pan of delicious brownies? Eggs.

That writing a resume is ridiculously depressing, especially once you realize that knowing all the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s Speak Now CD isn’t a “skill set”

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That the people at Coconut Bliss not only make terrific vegan ice cream, but amazing hoodies, too.

That dessert hummus will be huge in 2012. Just wait.

January 11th 159

That Taza chocolate is seriously the best there is. And no, the people at Taza have not endorsed this blog nor have I ever had any contact with them(but if anybody knows somebody who knows somebody whose cousin’s roommate has connections, my email is Evan@thewannabechef.net).

That spending Christmas gift cards on I Love Lucy season 5 is a much wiser investment than anything else you could have bought.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus

Mar 2nd 044

If you’re a longtime reader, then this recipe will look familiar. This single-handedly changed how I thought of hummus in general when I first made it over the Summer. After listing it on my Top 10 of 2010 list, I knew I wanted to make it again. So now I’m reposting the recipe with new step-by-step pictures, because I have nothing better to do now most days than cook and take pictures of my food(I know, it’s a rough vacation). Enjoy! And do try this because it never disappoints; it makes even the biggest skeptics believe that hummus has a place in dessert.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dessert Hummus

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 3 cups):

  • 2 cups chickpeas
  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

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Method:

  1. Drain, measure, wash, and peel your chickpeas. Peeling them isn’t absolutely necessary but it makes for the creamiest hummus and really is worth the effort.
  2. In a food processor, add the first 4 ingredients and process until the hummus is smooth and emulsified(the one thing no one wants for dessert is chunky chickpea pieces in their dessert).
  3. Remove the blade and fold in the chocolate chips. Move into a deep serving bowl and serve with graham crackers or baby carrots.

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“How can that possibly be good?” you may be wondering. The maple syrup makes this deliciously sweet; and the chickpeas, peanuts, and syrup all have a same earthiness that pairs with one another really well. The result is a creamy dip reminiscent of cookie dough only with healthy fats and fiber.

Who’s ready to dig in?