Roasted Red Pepper Homus - Grow Your Own #2

Hummus or homus is a dip made basically of chickpeas and sesame tahini. It is a popular spread in various countries in the Middle Eastern world that we borrowed. This recipe has been on my waiting list for so long... One of the reasons it took me so long is that I live close to a restaurant with a drive-thru that sells this type of food, and it is so easy to order it from my car... So, this time, I planned this meal, went to the market and bought both chickpeas and tahini. And I combined two recipes, one from Technicolor Kitchen and another one from the kitchen of The Budding Cook, because the red pepper adds a fascinating color to this dip!

Ingredients
15 oz (about 400g) drained canned chickpeas
2 big pieces of roasted red pepper
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic (I baked them for a minute in the microwave)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

1) Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor and blend well. With the processor running, gradually pour the olive oil processing until just smooth.

2) Transfer to a bowl and decorate with mint leaves and green onions (these herbs are both from my tiny garden).

3) Serve with pita bread, vegetables or other Middle Eastern dishes.

Here's how I roast peppers
- Directly on the burner, over the gas flame of my stovetop, I blacken the pepper. I remove them from the fire and place in a food grade plastic bag so the steam that forms will help to remove the skin. Let cool for about fifteen minutes, remove from bag and with a knife I peel off the skins.

Be careful: If you don't use this type of stove, roast the peppers under a broiler or in the oven.