September 5, 2009

I just now thought of this??  Really?  Where have I been?  This is the easiest healthy hummus recipe ever, and dare I say…the most delicious?

As usual I haven't been to the WallyMart or Tarzhay for groceries, so my pantry is bare except for 2 lonely cans of chickpeas.  I already used 2 other cans this week in a tasty chickpea salad with olive oil, lemon, mustard, lemon pepper and feta.  What else could I do with these 2 cans but make HUMMUS!!  You knew I'd say it, didn't you?  The Hummus Queen lives!

So here's my revelation.  Use store-bought pesto in your healthy hummus recipe!  I had a nice bunch of basil that I was going to make pesto from, but someone…

Gaby Baby the Basil Cat Burglar

…discovered it on the counter and has been secretly munching on it as a midnight snack over the last week, so needless to say, the surviving basil leaves were in sorry shape and they had to go to Herb Heaven (aka garbage disposal).

But store-bought pesto carries no shame!  And cheap pesto from Sam's Club is just fine in this.

I use my basic hummus formula:  2 cans drained rinsed chickpeas + 1/4 cup olive oil + juice of 1 to 2 lemons + 2 tblsp tahini + seasonings.  Usually, I add fresh garlic and maybe chives or whatever herbs I have laying around.  Sun-dried tomatoes are awesome in hummus too, by the way.

But tonight, I skipped peeling and crushing garlic, and just added 3 tablespoons of that Sam's pesto as an experiment.  And voila!  It's so ding dang good I can't stand it!  It has a nice pale green color, and the unmistakable flavor combination of garlic and basil, but it's slightly subtle and not overpowering.

I'm dying to to replicate the artichoke hummus from Ziziki's Greek restaurant, but until I do, THIS is my new favorite…Healthy Pesto Hummus!

~BigSis