Pesto Hommous

I was in a pesto mood today [see my earlier post about pesto and pesto - vegetable lasagna], so for my next experiment in hommous-making, I tested out a hommous - pesto combination. Here's what I came up with...

Pesto Hommous (~ 2 cups)
1 cup loosely-packed basil leaves
2 T. pine nuts
1 T. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable juice

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, paprika, or pine nuts. Serve as a dip for pita or vegetables, or spread on a sandwich.

Spinach Hommous

Last week I traveled out to Oregon to visit my friend Melissa. The trip provided plenty of inspiration on the food front: reminding me how much I like fresh berries (see recent posts about some of the treats I've been whipping up after going berry picking upon my return) and finding some delicious spinach hommous at the grocery store that prompted me to whip up a batch of my own. Enjoy this spread with pita or spread it on a hearty whole wheat bread and top it with cheese and sliced veggies (cucumbers and tomatoes, for starters) for a yummy sandwich. Just don't take it to the beach, where you might find that the wind tries to add its own touch - a bit of gritty sand!

Spinach Hommous (~ 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). If the hommous is too thick, add some vegetable juice, about 1 T. at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Masala Hommous

With the heat of summer coming on, I like to trade in the warm soups of fall and winter for something cool in my lunch bag. Last week, I kicked off the season with gazpacho (see last year's recipe). This week, I've decided to bring in fresh vegetables (grape tomatoes, baby cucumbers, and baby carrots), mini pitas, and hommous. The varieties of hommous available at the grocery store appear to be endless, but I decided to try making my own this time around - and to add some Indian spice in the process. I also cut down on the oil and tahini, which add a lot of fat to hommous; in order to restore the moisture needed to achieve a creamy texture, I used low sodium vegetable juice.

Masala Hommous (~ 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. garam masala
dash cayenne pepper
up to 1/4 cup vegetable juice

1. Combine all ingredients except vegetable juice in a large bowl and lightly mash together.

2. Process in batches in a food processor. Add vegetable juice as needed to achive desired texture. [I found that processing in three batches, adding about 1 T. of vegetable juice to each batch, worked well. Experiment and see what works for you.]

3. Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, paprika, or pine nuts. Serve as a dip for pita or vegetables, or spread on a sandwich.