Hummus is one of those appetizers that many people buy from the store.  However, it is so easy to make and you can save so much money making it yourself.  All it requires is a blender.  I make it in a personal blender.  This roasted red pepper hummus is a change from the traditional flavored hummus with the addition of the red pepper.  Like the smoky egg plant dip, I roast the red pepper directly on the stove top. This infuses a mild smokiness into the red pepper. Delicious!

As a healthy alternative, use hummus in sandwiches as a spread instead of mustard or mayonnaise. It's different and amazing!

Tips for making roasted red pepper hummus.

Red peppers.

Roast red peppers in the oven or on the BBQ grill.  I prefer to char them directly on the stovetop.  It's a little messy, but the smokiness from the char infuses into the pepper and this makes all the difference.

Once the pepper is soft and charred / roasted, remove the charred peel and seeds.

Chick peas.

Canned chickpeas can be found at any grocery store. Drain the canned chickpeas, but reserve the "aquafaba".  Aquafaba which literally translates to "bean water" is the name of the chickpea juice as a result of cooking the chickpeas.  The thick juice is great to add as additional liquid if needed.  Unlike most recipes, I don't rinse the chick peas, because the residual liquid on the chickpeas is thick, tasty and full of nutrition!  So why would anyone think that rinsing the chickpeas is a good idea when the aquafaba has trace amounts of 

• B vitamins
• Folate
• Iron
• Phosphorus
• Healthy fats, like linoleic and oleic acids

Tahini.

Tahini is sesame paste.  It makes a great addition to various dips and is a key ingredient for hummus. Tahini, when mixed with a liquid, becomes an emulsifier and thickens.

Fresh lemon juice.

This recipe recommends using fresh lemon juice.  Bottled lemon juice doesn't really have that "fresh" taste.

Blending.

The easiest way to make this hummus is either to use a personal blender, immersion blender, regular blender or food processor.  A very smooth consistency can be achieved by using a powerful blender.

Accompaniments.

I like serving roasted red pepper hummus as a "Mediterranean trio" combination of dips with a smoky eggplant dip and cucumber tabbouleh.  These pair nicely with veggies, pita bread or pita chips.