Red Pepper Hummus (Gluten Free & Vegan)

Hummus is a delicious plant-based dip that first emerged from the middle east. With growing awareness of health and wellness it has rapidly gained popularity in other parts of the world too.

In addition to regular hummus ingredients, this variation of the traditional version, brings in the tantalising sweetness of roasted sweet pepper.

This serves well…

• in a sandwich
• on crackers
• as a veggie dip
• with baked potatoes

It’s pretty versatile and should keep in the fridge for over a week.
 

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet red bell peppers
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 2 heaped tablespoons of tahini
• 1 tin (240 g drained or 1 1/2 cups) tinned chickpeas
• 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• De-seed, de-stalk and slice your peppers in half or quarters.
• Next: roast the sweet pepper and garlic in a hot oven... To do this, keep the garlic in its skin and place on an oven tray along with the pepper and place in a pre-heated oven (gas mark 7 / 425°F / 220°C should work fine). Roast garlic for up to 10 minutes and the pepper for about 15-20 minutes (or until the pepper is easy to pierce). No need to let the pepper char. Note: I find it easier to roast this ahead of time.
• It's best to wait until the garlic cools down a little before you pop it out of it's skin. Gently chop off the top; then squeeze out the fleshy garlic and place in a jug ready to blend with everything else.
• Rinse and drain chickpeas.
• Juice lemon. 
• Add all ingredients to a jug and blend until you reached your desired consistency.
• Chill in the fridge before serving.
• I used a piping bag to whip it up on a gluten free and organic wafer and garnished it with sprigs of chives.