Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! It's so good that I can eat it all day long. Hummus is a middle eastern spread made from chick peas (i.e. garbanzos as others call it). It makes a perfect dip sans the cream, the cheese, the mayo and everything the usual dip has that we are accustomed to. Not only does it have tons of protein from the chickpeas but it is vegetarian as well.

This is spread is something you can easily whip and store in your fridge. Indulge in it every time you are craving for something to dunk your favorite bread, chips, veggies, or pita bread. It tastes soo good that I go as far as making it my sandwich spread and unbelievably when I eat it I do not crave for anything but more of it!

Traditionally hummus has tahini sauce which is a sesame paste. I am not really fond of it so I opted out. But for this hummus recipe I made, I've added roasted red bell pepper to add some flavour and garlic. Some recipes may call for roasting the garlic but I prefer the pungency of raw garlic as it adds a slight kick to the taste.

For the Hummus:

1/2 cup flavorless oil, I used canola oil
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
1 roasted red bell pepper
Juice of half a lemon
1 can of cooked chick peas (540 ml)
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
10 pita bread, toasted in a pan and sliced in triangular shapes

Directions:

Drain the chick peas and discard juice. Slightly mash them with a fork. Set aside.

In a blender, add half of the canola oil followed by the roasted bell pepper and the garlic cloves. Blend the first three ingredients until they form a paste. Add in the mashed chick peas little by little. If you find that your blender does not budge due to the thickness of the chick peas, turn off blender, remove blender from the motor and loosen the mixture with a spoon. While blending pour in little by little the remaining canola oil.
Blend the mixture well until you get a soft consistency. Add in the lemon. Season with salt and pepper.