Basil Hummus Recipe
A Basil Hummus Recipe is a good way to use up the extra basil that everybody usually has in the fridge. We realise that everybody loves hummus and everybody loves basil, and what’s not to love? The good thing about hummus is it’s ability to lend itself to a multitude of ingredients like basil and they all taste amazing. Using fresh and natural ingredients can really give your dip the ping it needs to set itself apart from the other boring dips at the party. This recipe uses tomato paste which gives it a very interesting taste which most people will enjoy.
Basil and Chickpeas? Really?
Yes really Tiffany. This combination of hummus and basil is great for any occasion and is suitable for vegetarians. You can pick the basil leaves fresh from your plant if you have one.
It’s easy to prepare and pretty cheap. If you’re looking for a unique hummus perfect for vegetarians, this Basil Hummus Recipe is a must try. It goes well with bread sticks, pita wedges, crackers and heaps of other good foods. This is the best alternative for your standard dip.
Ingredients
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups sweet basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 500 gram cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Several dashes Tabasco
Method
- In a small pan at medium high temperature, heat the pine nuts. Stir them when they start to become brown. When most of them are lightly browned, transfer them to a bowl to cool.
- In the food processor, put the basil leaves and minced garlic. Pulse till they are finely chopped.
- Add the garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, salt and few dashes of Tabasco to the food processor.
- Pulse many times until the hummus is smooth.
- Depends on your liking, add more Tabasco, salt of lemon juice to taste.
- Add water to achieve your desired consistency.
Transfer the hummus into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Don’t forget to sprinkle the remaining pine nuts on top to make it look more inviting. Serve with pita wedges and carrots cut into sticks.
Many people cannot tolerate peanut butter due to allergies, so tahini is a good alternative. Also the taste of tahini is not as strong as peanut butter so it’s a good alternative for people who simply don’t like the taste of peanut butter. Use it on sandwiches and in wraps to give some extra flavor and it’s much healthier than salad creams and many other condiments. Add to that the fact that you have made it yourself at home, and you can be sure you are getting all the good nutrients out of your home made tahini.