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My 242nd recipe, "Hummus + Baked Pita Chips", a super delicious and healthy snack. Mediterranean cuisine was one of those wonderful cuisines which acted as a savior while I moved to the US. While I never had issues finding vegetarian food in Dallas, it was not always the case while I was on vacations. I was mostly restricted to Cheese Quesadillas or a nice hot falafel along with hummus and pita bread on trips.
One such pleasant memory was at the Sahara Cafe in Manitou Springs, Colorado. We were just back from the Garden of the Gods and were next heading to the Pikes Peak. Both are beautiful places which always are etched in our memories. We needed a quick lunch stop and we were treated to some fresh falafels, salad, etc. etc. A quick, flavorful, healthy and filling lunch it was. Since Hummus and falafel were the star of the lunch on that day, I had ever wanted to make a batch at home.
Hummus is basically a dip made of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon. While I knew that my mixie (blender) would just work fine to make my homemade hummus, I wanted to wait until I get my food processor to make it just as it is shown on Food Networkcooking shows 😀
After purchasing my mini food processor for black friday and with one of my readers, Bhumika, requesting for a Hummus recipe last week, decided that it is the right time to make my batch of hummus at home. Most of the traditional hummus recipes uses tahini, a sesame paste which is readily available at supermarkets. Apart from being used in making hummus, Tahini is also used in salad dressings, other dips, etc. However I do not have many uses for a jar of Tahini. Also, I was not ready to give the tahini flavor a miss and hence I choose to use sesame seeds directly while making my hummus.
The hummus itself was super creamy and tasted better than the ones from the restaurant. And it serves well as a dip for hot falafels / pita bread / chips, as a spread in wraps & sandwiches, and many other ways you can think of. And if you want to make yourself a quick snack, there is no better way to make a batch of healthy pita chips. It is very easy to make and is done in 10 mins. A warm piece of pita chips dunked into the smooth, creamy and hummus makes the perfect snack for me to munch while watching my favorite TV shows or movie 🙂
Hummus + Baked Pita Chips
Hummus + Baked Pita Chips
Revathi Palani
Hummus is a middle eastern spread / dip made from chickpeas and flavored with tahini, lemon, garlic, etc. Learn to make this healthy snack from scratch.
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Prep Time 6 hours hrs
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course Snack
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 2
Ingredients
For Hummus
- ⅓ Cup Dry Chickpea * need 1 Cup Cooked Chickpea
- 2 Tbsp White Sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil + For garnish
- 2 Tbsp Lemon extract
- 1 clove Garlic (chopped)
- ¼ tsp Salt (adjust per taste)
- ¼ tsp Roasted cumin powder
- Paprika | Red Chilli powder - For garnish (optional)
For Pita Chips
- 2 Pita bread
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Garlic Salt | Regular Salt - as needed
- Roasted cumin powder - as needed
Instructions
First, soak the dry chickpeas for atleast 6 hrs and cook with sufficient water until done. Measure 1 cup of the cooked chickpeas. Reserve the cooking water. I used a little more than a ⅓ cup of dry chickpeas, soaked it overnight and pressure cooked it for 3 whistles.
<br><br><img src="https://revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cap-1.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-4.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" />Heat a small pan and slightly dry roast the sesame seeds until they just start changing color. Turn off the flame immediately. Leave them to cool to room temperature.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-5.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-6.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" />Once the sesame seeds are cooled, add it to a blender/food processor along with 1 Tbsp of the oil, lemon extract, garlic, salt and cumin powder. Blend until the sesame seeds are ground fully and you get a paste.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-7.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-8.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" />Now add the cooked chickpeas along with the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. Blend until the chickpeas are coarsely ground into a paste.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-9.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-10.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" />
Add about 1 - 2 Tbsp of the water used for cooking the chickpeas and blend until a smooth paste is formed. Add more water, if needed, to achieve the desired consistency.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-11.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-12.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" />Transfer to the serving bowl. Garnish with olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/hummus-1.jpg" alt="hummus" width="100%" /><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/hummus-2.jpg" alt="hummus" width="100%" />Now moving onto the Pita Chips. Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut each of the pita bread into quarters. Brush oil and Sprinkle the salt, roasted cumin on both sides of the pita. Place it on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 mins. Pull it out of the oven and turn the pieces once. Bake for a further 5 mins or until nicely golden.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-13.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-14.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /><br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-15.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" /> <img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/humm-16.jpg" alt="hummus" width="48%" />Serve the pita chips warm with the creamy hummus.
<br><br><img src="//revi.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/hummus-3.jpg" alt="hummus" width="100%" />
Notes | FAQ
- It is essential to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe for the best flavor.
- Instead of using dry chickpeas, you can use the ones from the can too. In that case you can completely skip the 1st step.
- Tahini is a sesame seed paste readily available in supermarket. In case you want to use store bought tahini, you can skip 2 Tbsp of the sesame seeds and 1 Tbsp of olive oil from the recipe and use 2 Tbsp of Tahini instead.
- You can also peel the skins of the chickpeas for a more smoother texture. However you will loose out on the nutrients.
- You can store the Hummus refrigerated for a few days until maybe a week.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Howie Fox says
Hummus is DA BEST!! The combo with pita chips is just great. Should make it much much more often! Thanks for sharing, Revi! 🙂
Reply
revifood says
Thanks Howie for your lovely comments 🙂
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