by Bold Commerce Collaborator
13 Nov 2018

Luxury Hummus & Pesto Dip with Veggies & Bread

WE LOVE HUMMUS, SUCH A VERSATILE, EASY, VEGAN SPREAD, FULL OF FIBERS AND PROTEINS

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER DIP? WE HAVE GOT YOU COVERED! Use pesto with your favorite pasta for a mediterranean meal or simply spread it over a crusty bread, yummy!

Organic. Raw. Vegan.

The word "hummus" is an Arabic word that means "chickpea" (or "garbanzo beans" in Spanish, "ceci" if you know Italian ;), the main ingredient of this dish. Hummus is a dip or spread, made of cooked chickpeas blended with tahini paste (a paste made of sesame seeds, readily available almost everywhere now) + olive oil + lemon juice + garlic.

Easy peasy!

I know, chickpeas and hummus are humble food :) How about transforming them in a sumptuous starter for friends (or main dish to treat yourself!)? It is fresh, organic, yummy, hand made & full of nutrients... what's more luxury start than this?!

A green juice of your choice and your favourite bread to complete (bread is also home made and toasted :)

INGREDIENTS - HUMMUS

1 cup of chickpeas (200g)
(soak them overnight, rinse well and cook covered with twice their volume of freshwater for 1,5-2 hours; if you have a pressure cooker, just cover them with enough water and 30 minutes will do the job!)
If you are in a hurry, canned chickpeas will work as well, please read carefully ingredients: choose the ones with only water and salt, nothing more!

lemon juice for half lemon
2 tbsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup cooking water from the chickpeas
Salt & pepper (try Pink Himalayan salt!)
Optional: 1tsp cumin and 1 tsp paprika

METHOD - HUMMUS

Add all ingredients in a blender (liquid first) and blend until you reach the desired texture; you can add more liquid if needed.

I use my Blendtec food processor and just pressed "Sauce"!

You can serve immediately if you like it warm, or prepare a bit in advance and let it cool down in the fridge.

It keeps well in the fridge for several days :)

INGREDIENTS - PESTO

Make a full jar of Quick Italian Basil Pesto, store in fridge for 3-4 days or freeze it in cubes, ready to use when needed

150g fresh organic basil leaves, lightly packed (also the very soft part of stems can be used)
1/2 cup of Organic extra virgin olive oil*,
2 cloves or more of organic garlic, chopped
2 handful of pine nuts, or pistachios
1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
* if you prefer to reduce calories, substitute some of the olive oil with vegetable stock

METHOD - PESTO

Add oil, garlic and basil to the jar, push the basil downing the oil. Use the pulse function 6-8 times until the basil is roughly chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and press pulse 4-6 times until the desired texture is reached.

I use my Blendtec food processor to make pesto, great results in seconds! You can use of course other less powerful blenders or an immersion blender with a tall, thin container.. and a bit more hard work! :)

NB. adjust oil, vegetable stock or a little bit of water if you want it more or less liquid!

If you store in fridge, make sure the pesto is always covered by a layer of oil, it will keep it safe and edible much longer.... well if you don't eat it all right away!