Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Today started out bright, sunny, and warm. It was a nice little preview of spring, and it got me in a spring cleaning mode. I didn't sit down from 9:30am - 6:30pm, and I feel that I really accomplished a lot today.


One of the things I did was to try out a few hummus recipes and whole wheat pitas. I was unable to find tahini, and I am not able to eat lemon, so the hummus is not entirely authentic... But they taste great anyway!

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans, drained
6-8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1-3 cloves garlic, minced (depending on preference)
3 basil leaves, finely chopped
1-4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Follow directions below.





Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
(inspired by Back to Her Roots)

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
2-3 roasted red peppers (fresh, or jarred and oil-packed)
1-3 garlic cloves, mined (depending on preference)
1 handful fresh parsley (approx 3 tbsp)
1-4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste


Follow the directions below.




Put all of the ingredients but the olive oil, salt and pepper into a food processor. Mix until smooth, adding the olive oil while mixing until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.



Tips:

Peel the garbanzo beans for smoother hummus. To do this, pinch a bean between your fingers. The skin should pop right off.

For better taste, substitute 1 tbsp of the oil the tomatoes or peppers came packed in for 1 tbsp of olive oil.