



I love to make my own hummus at home. It's economical, and I can flavor it to my liking (lots of garlic!). My favorite hummus is roasted red bell pepper hummus, but I have to admit I'm a little lazy today. I just didn't have it in me to roast up a red bell pepper - or spend the time waiting for it to cool down.

Inspired by my own laziness, I invented this unroasted red bell pepper hummus. It's super easy to make, considering it just uses raw red bell pepper. I punched up the flavor with extra garlic and cayenne pepper.

This hummus is great as a dip or for sandwiches. I plan on using it tonight to turn some leftover focaccia bread into hummus pizza.

Unroasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus

1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas or one 16 ounce can, cooking or canning liquid drained and reserved

1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup roasted tahini (raw is okay, but roasted gives you a lot more flavor)

juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Blend the chickpeas in a food processor until smooth, adding a tablespoon of cooking liquid at a time as needed. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Variations: Try adding a favorite complementary spice like paprika or coriander. Blend in a few drops of toasted sesame oil.