Hummus Dip. Restaurant-Style.

This restaurant-style warm hummus dip is creamy, inviting and super easy to make in just a few minutes!

Standing in my kitchen, just staring into my pantry for a minute or so, waiting for some inspiration to hit, the can of organic garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) caught my eye and my craving hit. Hummus! Warm, delicately spiced, creamy-delicious hummus with flavors of lemon and tahini in every perfect bite. Speckled pepper-y spices, a hint of garlic, fresh parsley and a drizzle of EVOO on top. Add a platter of freshly-chopped, colorful veggie sticks and (boom) your amazing-looking dip spread is done.

This is a classic restaurant-style presentation recipe, however I've added a few tweaks to the ingredients. So if like me, you love hummus, make. this. dip.

Lunchtime. On a sunny Friday afternoon. I tore myself from my computer, craving some nice kitchen play time. Heading into the kitchen for lunch/my next recipe post, I was about to make a salad. Some sort of fancy, raw-marinated, tahini-maple dressed kale salad with colorful chopped veggies. But I took a right turn at "complicated" and found myself making this very simple recipe that made for a satisfying, cozy snack (or lunchtime) platter. Party perfect too. It looks so fancy with a light dusting of fine pepper, red spice and a buttery drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. A sprig of flat leaf parsley for a pop of green color.

Nice and creamy! Tip: For even thicker dip, serve chilled from the fridge. My dip was served warm..

Per entire recipe (calorie estimate from caloriecount.com)..

Citrus-Tahini Hummus Dip
vegan, makes 3 cups

1 ½ cups cooked garbanzo beans (1 standard can)
1 ½ cups cooked cannellini beans (1 standard can)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoon tahini (100% sesame seeds / unsalted)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, squeezed + a few pinches of zest
1 medium tangerine or (½ orange or 1 small orange) - peeled (find one that is quite juicy like a satsuma variety)**
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon fine black pepper
a few pinches of cayenne (to taste for heat)
1 tablespoon warm water (optional)

**this tangerine was my fancy ingredient. I really liked the very subtle sweetness it added plus the additional antioxidants and fiber.

garnish: 1 teaspoon (drizzle) of EVOO, black pepper, red spice (cayenne or paprika) & fresh sprig of parsley. (A few reserved, whole chickpeas is nice too)

Directions:

1. Open your cans of beans and pour into a large strainer of some sort. Run the beans under warm to hot water. I use very hot water so that when my hummus is blended it is actually warm in temperature and ready to serve! Rinse beans very well to remove the bubbly residue.

2. Transfer beans to a high speed blender of food processor. Add in the citrus (peeled orange or tangerine) lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne, zest, tahini and EVOO. (Note: I used a satsuma, which is seasonal, but a very small juicy orange or half of a large orange will work too1)

3. Start blender on low and continue blending until smooth and creamy. If you need to loosen the blend a bit, add 1 tablespoon of hot water.

4. Do a taste test and add more salt and spices if you'd like. (Mine was perfect on the first try which I was thrilled about!)

5. Pour into serving dish and smooth with the back of a spoon. Add fine pepper and either cayenne or paprika over top. A drizzle of EVOO and a fresh parsley garnish.

Serve with toasted pita, chips, crackers and/or mountains of colorful freshly chopped veggies! Tip: serve chilled for extra thick consistency. You can also warm hummus by placing in oven or microwave for an extra warmer temperature.

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