Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Māla Girl Fireball Basil

I don’t know about you but once I started making my own hummus at home I have never gone back to the store-bought stuff! This weekend I whipped up a batch of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus to snack on in my desperate attempt to hide my hungries from the boxes of girl scout cookies I bought from my niece that were hiding in the cabinet.

My secret to this dish is the Fireball Basil Blend from my friends over at Māla Girl! I used it to toss some of the chickpeas in and roasted them off in the over for garnish and added the rest right to the hummus mix and blended it all up together! If you haven’t tried any of the Māla Girl products…you totally should! They’re local to Orlando like me, everything is hand-blended, vegan, gluten-free, and organic! Check them out here!

This recipe is so simple that it almost seems silly to post it, but it’s because it’s so easy that I wanted to share. Who needs to spend $6 for hummus in the Deli Department when you can totally make it yourself in about 5 minutes!

What you are going to need to buy:

Chickpeas, 1 can

Olive Oil, drizzle

Māla Girl Fireball Basil Blend, single-serve packet

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Roasted Red Peppers, (I a jarred option. Find them in your local store, typically by the olives)

Garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon

That’s it! No kidding…

What you are going to need to do:

Drain your chickpeas. Reserve a handful of them for garnish. With those, sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon the Māla Girl Fireball Basil Blend and roast at 400 in the oven for about 15 minutes. This is not necessary but makes the final dish super pretty if you’re serving guests.

Into a blender add the rest of the chickpeas, the remaining Māla Girl Fireball Basil Blend, 1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, and garlic. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of the liquid that the peppers come packed in…add slowly until the desired consistency is reached. Be careful not to get it too runny.

Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper, to taste

Serve with warm pita or crusty bread and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, roasted chickpeas, and more diced roasted red peppers.

This hummus also makes an amazing spread for sandwiches and wraps!
That’s it! Enjoy…see I told you it was easy!
Love, light, and lentils, my friends!
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The Best Fresh and Chunky Guacamole

I love avocados! Big surprise, I’m sure. Hang onto your hats…I also love guacamole! But, I know that a lot of people, (gasp)…do not. Perfect for a party, this recipe is sure to turn even the pickiest eaters green with avocado envy

I’m personally convinced that there are two reasons why some people don’t like avocados (and guacamole to be more specific): one, people who don’t eat them often, are a little intimidated about buying avocados, (ie: knowing when they are ripe) and two, because most of the “guacamole” that people have had at their restaurants and neighborhood backyard barbecues is basically green, processed, mushy baby-food! Yuck! If I had to choose between most restaurant and grocery store guac and no guac at all…I’d be on the anti-avocado train myself. Luckily, now you have this recipe! It’s so easy and delicious, I promise…you’ll never want to eat store-bought ever again.

What you are going to need to buy:

2 Ripe Avocados

1/2 Small Red Onion, diced

Handful of Cherry Tomatoes, diced

Garlic, minced - (our favorite is from Spice World!)  

1 Fresh Lime

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Cilantro, if that’s your thing…

Mayo (Optional)

What you are going to need to do:

Open your avocado by slicing through the entire circumference of the fruit! Yes, It’s a fruit. I know…I know. It’s green. Look it up! Fruit, I promise. (Mind blown!)

Gently twist the two halves apart and with a large, sturdy kitchen knife, remove the pit. This is exponentially easier when the avocados are ripe.

Score the flesh of the fruit into a grid pattern and then scoop out the contents from the skins.

Into a mixing bowl combine the flash of two avocados, the diced onion, the diced tomatoes, (Using yellow and red tomatoes makes for an extra pretty dish, perfect for entertaining) and 1 -2 teaspoons of minced garlic.

Using the back of a fork, gently mash the mixture together to smooth out some of the lumps, being mindful not to turn your homemade guacamole Into the aforementioned baby-food. Personally, I like mine a little on the chunky side.

Squeeze in the contents of one small lime (Do not skimpy this…) and add salt and pepper to taste. If you’re a cilantro lover throw a handful of rough chopped cilantro into the bowl, give a final stir and serve!

That’s it! I told you it was easy!

Enjoy!

(A note about the Mayo: This can be either traditional or vegan mayo and can be a good trick to use if your avocados are not quite ripe enough to make your guacamole very creamy. Take 1 heaping tablespoon of mayo and add to the avocado when you are doing your initial “mash and mix” step. If you do add mayo, just know, it will flatten out the flavor a little and you will likely need a pinch more salt plus some more garlic and lime.)