Roasted Red Peppers and Hummus

Happy New Year!  I thought I'd start out 2015 with one of my favorite healthy snack recipes. This recipe is so incredibly easy and such a great snack to bring to work or dress it up to serve as an appetizer at a party.  There are also so many variations to hummus, you can make it with pretty much anything in your fridge or pantry.  I prefer roasted red peppers because they pack a bit of a punch and the peppers are just as easy to make from scratch but taste pretty much the same as the jarred ones mixed in the hummus.

I roast my peppers in a 450° oven for 50 min but you can also put the peppers under the broiler for 10-15 but you need to make sure you watch them because they can char very quickly.  You can also grill them (but seeing as we still do not own a grill, that option is out for me). 

To roast the peppers, place the peppers on a rimmed backing sheet covered in foil.  Place the peppers in a 450° oven for 50 minutes, flipping the peppers halfway trhough.

Once the peppers are cooked, they should looked a bit charred,  wrap the peppers in the foil and let them sit for 15 minutes to cool. Don't worry if you crush the pepper a bit. if the foil is too hot, use a towel to wrap the foil.  

Once the peppers has cooled, remove the skins, stem and seeds.  Run under water to remove any skin that is stubborn.

Once complete, the peppers can be used for the hummus, eaten as is with a fork with a little salt and olive oil, served on a sandwich or mixed in with a pasta sauce.

Ingredient count: 9 (only needed to buy 3)  
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 (15oz) can Chick Peas, drained
1/2 cup roasted red peppers (equivalent of 1 to 2 whole red peppers) 
2 Tbsp tahini 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 papriki
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

 Add  all of the ingredients, except the olive oil, to the food processor.  Blend, while blending, drizzle the olive oil through the top spout.  Continue to blend until the hummus reaches desired consistency

To add some variety, add 1/4 cup feta cheese to change it up 

Serve the hummus, with pita chips, carrot sticks, broccoli, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pretzels or as a sandwich spread