California Hummus

I used to be a regular at a place called Pita Grill back when I lived in the downtown part of Hoboken. This was, of course, before the invasion of falafel restaurants I made reference to in a recent entry titled Home Made Falafel. What attracted me to Pita Grill was a menu of simple, healthy and delicious meals. This was years ago.

As I dig through my eating memoirs and look to share and replicate my favorite experiences, I’m pleased to relive my version of Pita Grill’s California Hummus, courtesy of G Living.  This is a traditional Mediterranean dish gone loco with the distinctly Mexican ingredients, cilantro, jalapeño and lime juice. Notice the striking resemblance to Holy Guacamole!

Recipe

Serving Size (2-4 people)

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 19 oz can of chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons, ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup, extra virgin olive oil
• 2 jalapeño peppers, roughly chopped (remove seeds if you want less heat)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• pinch red pepper flakes as a garnish

What You’ll Need:

1. open can of chickpeas and rinse (cold water) in a colander or strainer several times until the goo (they are canned in) is washed off
2. put garlic into food processor and pulse a few times
3. add chickpeas, tahini, lime juice, cumin and salt to food processor and puree
4. with the food processor on, slowly drizzle olive oil into the mixture
5. once hummus consistency is achieved, add cilantro and jalapeños through the processor to turn the hummus green and spicy
6. garnish with some crushed red pepper and serve