Roasted Red Pepper Hummus – Delicious Vegan Dip

Hummus is a delicious plant-based dip that first emerged from the middle east. With growing awareness of health and wellness it has rapidly gained popularity in other parts of the world too, (especially in our house!). In addition to regular hummus ingredients, my variation of the traditional version, brings in the tantalising sweetness of roasted sweet pepper. It gives an awesome combination of beneficial nutrients too…

• Sesame seeds (pureed – in the form of tahini) are rich in healthy fats and minerals.
• Chickpeas (garbonzo beans) are high in protein as well as having plentiful manganese, copper, phosphorus, iron and folic acid.
• Sweet pepper has mega levels of vitamin C.
• Lemon and garlic both offer powerful anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and immune boosting properties.

I was interested in creating a really appetizing version of hummus – one where the flavours alchemically combine to provide a wonderful infusion of deliciousness. So, I decided to roast the sweet pepper and garlic, since roasting certainly unleashes an incredible fullness of these flavoursome foods.

Verdict: Worked absolute wonders and I am delighted to share this new recipe…

Yields: 4 big portions

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet red bell peppers
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 2 heaped tablespoons of tahini
• 1 tin (240g drained or 1½ cups) tinned chickpeas
• 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

1. De-seed, de-stalk and slice your peppers in half or quarters.
2. Next: roast the sweet pepper and garlic in a hot oven… To do this, keep the garlic in its skin and place on an oven tray along with the pepper and place in a pre-heated oven (gas mark 7/425°C/220°F should work fine). Roast garlic for up to 10 minutes and the pepper for about 15-20 minutes (or until the pepper is easy to pierce). No need to let the pepper char. Note: I find it easier to roast this ahead of time – get on with something else – and then set them out to cool for a little while before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
3. It’s best to wait until the garlic cools down a little before you pop it out of it’s skin. Gently chop off the top; then squeeze out the fleshy garlic and place in a jug ready to blend with everything else.
4. Rinse and drain chickpeas.
5. Juice lemon and discard the skin.
6. Add all ingredients to a jug and blend until you reached your desired consistency.
7. Chill in the fridge before serving.

Serving suggestions:

This serves well with

salad
in a sandwich
on crackers
as a veggie dip
with baked potatoes or
coconut-sweet-potatoes

It’s pretty versatile and should keep in the fridge for over a week.

I like to make a batch of pates and dips to enjoy throughout the week. Gotta make plenty in my house though as they vanish pretty quickly!

For more healthy salads, pates and dips visit my ‘Salads & Dips’ page.

Trinity is the author of ‘Trinity’s Conscious Kitchen’, an all vegan super healthy, recipe book created to inspire a healthy plant-based way of eating. This recipe was first featured on her website here: www.trinityskitchen.com

Comment via Facebook