 | | | Lemon hummus Photos Susie Iventosch | | | | | | Hummus is such a wholesome, nutritious, and delicious snack, and there are so many amazing ways to prepare it! You can add herbs and different spices, or you can make it with jalapeno peppers, red peppers, or even with various kinds of beans. You can add nuts or olives or simply use your imagination to produce your own concoctions. Serve it with pita bread or chips, raw veggies, or spoon it onto your plate as a condiment to other dishes you plan to serve.
Our friend and fellow food blogger Lee, of The Rogue Brussel Sprout, makes a ton of different hummus recipes, and they always look so beautiful in her photos! Her culinary creations blend the line between food and art, as she pays meticulous attention to detail and a harmonious balance of flavors, textures, and colors. They are truly edible masterpieces!
Recently she turned us on to her Loaded Lemon Hummus and we made it for a dinner party to great fanfare! She uses lots of lemon and she sometimes adds a ranch herb blend. But the key to her hummus is the use of lemon zest, which makes it super fresh and lemony. Then, she garnishes the top of the hummus with a variety of micro greens, sliced veggies, and nuts. It makes a gorgeous presentation. When we made ours, we used cherry tomatoes, micro arugula, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, and banana peppers on top. It's a fancy and festive party dip.
The nice thing about hummus is that the recipes are very flexible. So, if you love tahini, you can add more tahini, and if you love salt, you can add more salt, and if you're a big garlic fan, add just a little more garlic! The one thing we always strive for is very creamy puree of the garbanzo beans and a balance of flavors. I find that adding a little ice-cold water as you puree the garbanzo beans helps to make it smooth. Just add a little at a time because you do not want it to get too watered down. Some people swear by the Vitamix blender or the the Ninja, but we just use our mini food processor, and it does the job just fine. I usually need to blend the garbanzo beans in batches, but it still works great.
To make the little canals in the hummus that hold the olive oil, simply use the back of a spoon starting at the outside of the bowl and make a swirly pattern towards the center. You can dip the spoon in water first to make it glide more easily through the hummus in your serving bowl. Then decorate away with garnishes of your choosing.
Please visit The Rogue Brussel Sprout for her Loaded Lemon Hummus and more of her recipes: www.theroguebrusselsprout.com/recipes/loaded-lemon-hummus#recipe-card
Treks & Bites Ranch Revolution herb blend is now available at Diablo Foods in Lafayette.
Festive Lemon Hummus
INGREDIENTS
2-3 tbsp. tahini
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup ice cold water (more or less as needed)
1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. ranch herb blend
2 tbsp. olive oil
Garnishes: extra olive oil, micro arugula, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, banana peppers, cucumber
DIRECTIONS
Place tahini in the bowl of your food processor and process for about one minute. Add garbanzo beans, a little at a time, and continue to process until smooth. Add a little bit of water as needed. If you need to do this in batches, you can remove the puréed beans and place them in a separate bowl until you have finished; then add them all back to the processor before adding the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, spices, and olive oil. Blend all together until very smooth.
Remove the hummus to a serving bowl. Smooth the top with a spoon or rubber spatula. Using the back of a spoon, make a swirling pattern from the outside of the bowl towards the center. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When you are ready to serve, drizzle extra olive oil into the well you made with the spoon and arrange the garnishes on the remaining part of the hummus. Serve with pita bread, chips, or crudités. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA