I know. Has roasted red pepper hummus not been done like a gazillion times before on like a gazillion different blogs? I'm going to post it anyway. You know what they say: it's not a food blog until there's a post on hummus. I'm haven't been doing a lot of cooking this week because my hubby is hunting wild turkey in the northern part of the state and this is pretty much what I've lived on. This and a steady diet of HGTV. I like the one where they redid the master bedroom and then there was a big reveal at the end. Have you seen that one?
Anyway...
The great thing about this combo is that it's healthy and cheap. I recently discovered that my local Wal-Mart has a clearance rack of bakery and bread items. I visit it every time I go and I picked up a couple of bags of pita bread a while back for about $.90 apiece. I froze them and kept saying that I was going to make chips out of them and I finally did this week. Now, I love the bags of pita chips that they sell in the store (Stacy's rocks!) but they are a little on the expensive side, I think. Mine were equally delicious at a fraction of the price. I have also been picking up loaves of ciabatta and focaccia bread at a reduced cost. I just check for any signs of mold, and then I freeze it when I get home. Since most of these breads are toasted when I use them, freezing is just fine.
I actually had everything to make the hummus including the tahini (sesame seed paste), which is more of an 'exotic' food item in these here parts, but was sort of a gift from my mom. A while back ( it was actually two years ago) we were visiting my grandmother in Petal, Mississippi and we discovered The Corner Market. This little grocery store has a great selection of imported/ exotic/can't-get-anything-like-this-in-Wayne County, MS/ Food Network-y items that this little Buckatunna girl had been living without, so she bought me a few. I had fun trying out some new things, but a couple of them, like the tahini paste, were pushed to the back of the cabinet until this week. I'm really glad I opened the jar even though I didn't see an expiration date, which made me a little nervous, but you know what? I didn't get sick or anything. I feel fine. ;o)
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Baked Pita Chips
1(15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic
2 roasted red peppers from a jar
2tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
About 6 whole pita pocket bread rounds
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
- To make the hummus, process the chickpeas and next seven ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
- For the pita chips, lightly brush both sides of each pita with olive oil. Sprinkle with desired amount of kosher salt. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. For thinner chips, cut the pita in half horizontally first, then into wedges. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.