Chilli Hommus

An impromptu lunch invitation for a couple really close to our heart was received on Friday night when they popped into our house and once we realized that we were free we took them up on the offer.  Especially with it being a day of record heat temperatures in Melbourne and their house being equipped with good air conditioning and a spa!

All we had to bring with us was some "nibbles".  Knowing that they were going to serve up cold meats and salad for lunch I couldn't very well take an antipasto platter or anything that too was full on cold meats.  Upon discussion with my husband we decided that a couple of homemade dips would be nice and of course, different than the norm.

Next decision was which dips?  We ended up making a Hommus with Chilli, a Beetroot and Mint, a Chilli Jam and a Smokey Mustard.  All whipped up in under 30 minutes and tasted incredible.  The freshness in all of them was amazing and the fact that we knew they were based on good and healthy ingredients made them even nicer.  

Dips are a really easy dish to prepare - infact they are insanely easy.  The majority of dips have minimal ingredients not to mention you are in control of what ingredients you use and I bet most of them will not contain any of those nasty numbers that you find on preservatives, additives and colourings.  I actually also find it is cheaper to make your own dips than buying those pre-made from the shops.

We made this hommus without tahini only because I didn't have any on hand.  I have made hommus many times and always used tahini so I was a little skeptical as to what the outcome would be.  To our surprise it was really nice and actually quite unnoticeable that it was missing what I would have considered an important ingredient to this dish.  I added a little sesame oil to give the flavour a hint of the nuttiness but you don't need to do this if you do not wish. The chilli quantity can be adjusted to suit your tastebuds - add more or less to suit.

Chilli Hommus

Makes: approx 1 1/2 cups

Serves: approx 18 x 20 gram servings

SmartPoints per serve:  1

2 x 400 gram can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 to 4 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

juice of 1 lemon juice

2 teaspoons chilli flakes (add more if you prefer)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch smoked paprika, for garnish

Add the chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sesame oil, lemon juice, chilli flakes garlic, cumin, and salt to a food processor.

Process until smooth and creamy.

If needed, add additional water to thin out the hummus.

Place in a serving dish, drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)