Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Hummus

11 November 2011

There are a lot of things I will gladly share with people, but when it comes to my food I really struggle with having an open hand. I’m not talking about the food in my house, but rather the food on my plate. Most moms can probably relate.

The first time I made hummus I used one-and-a-half pounds of dried chickpeas, and ended up with seven pounds of the dip. Seven pounds of hummus is a lot, and when I revealed the heaping container to Brandon he so kindly told me he doesn’t like hummus. In that moment I was okay with anyone eating off of my plate, including my toddlers. I thought I would get sick of it by the time that batch was gone, but I didn’t, and I still frequently make hummus.

I have already posted my hummus recipe using chickpeas, but here is a new family favorite using walnuts. Make sure if you try this that you soak the walnuts (preferably in filtered water) for at least 4 hours. This helps to get them soft, and to break down the phytates.

Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Hummus
Makes about 24 oz.

3 cups of dried walnut halves, soaked & drained (will end up swelling to about 4 cups)
1 tsp of ground cumin
¼ - ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 oz of roasted red peppers (home roasted or jarred)
2 garlic cloves
3 T walnut (or olive) oil
1 T lemon juice

Directions:

- Place walnuts, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper in blender or food processor until the walnuts are finely ground
- Add peppers, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice until it becomes the consistency of hummus. Depending on how it blends, you may want to add a bit more oil to get a smoother consistency
- Serve with carrots, bell peppers, cucumber slices, celery, spread on tomato slices, or any bread, pita, or crackers of choice.

Cost:

Walnuts (Costco): $3
Roasted Red Peppers (Costco): $2
Organic Olive Oil (Costco): $.05 (?)
Spices (Vitacost): $.15
Lemon juice (Vitacost): $.15

Total: $5.35 (Sabra brand hummus averages around $3 for 8oz)

Variations:

Artichoke Hummus
- Replace red peppers with 12 oz of artichoke hearts, and the cumin for 1 tsp of sweet paprika

Cilantro Hummus
- Substitute red peppers for ¼ cup of fresh cilantro.

Orange Hummus

- Substitute red peppers for ⅓ tsp of orange zest, and ¼ cup of orange juice


In any of these recipes you can replace the 3 cups of walnuts with 2 cups of chickpeas





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