Hummus

Hummus with vegetables and pita bread

I've spent a lot of time at the Alamo Drafthouse recently, watching summer movies. I love everything about the Drafthouse, but I'm not all that crazy about the food. Maybe it's just my personal taste, but nothing on the menu really works for me. And there aren't enough light options, in my opinion. And by light, I mean something that's both healthy and small-portioned.

They do have a red pepper hummus with pita bread and vegetables, though, and that inspired me to make hummus at home again. Hummus isn't exactly a low-calorie food. If you use tahini, which I love, your hummus will have plenty of fat in it. But it's a real treat in moderation. Or you can skip the tahini and add extra garlic for big flavor. I like a lot of garlic in my hummus.

I used this recipe from Simply Recipes, with the exceptions that I added extra garlic, and, instead of water, I thinned the hummus using the liquid I saved from the cans of chickpeas.

(And speaking of chickpeas, I should point out that I was also inspired to make this thanks to this post for Tuscan White Bean Dip by The Chickpea Chickadee.)

Now, in order to turn this into something that Shane would consider an actual meal, I brushed several pita pockets from Phoenicia Bakery with olive oil, browned them in a skillet, and cut them into triangles.

Hummus is a great food for summer, for a picnic, or to take to a potluck. And it's so versatile. You could do lots of things to spice it up and make it your own.

Enjoy!

P.S. While I'm poking fun at The Drafthouse, which I truly adore and recommend to everyone, I have to make a note about their attitude toward mineral water. In the past, they carried San Pellegrino, but when you ordered it, you found yourself confronted with a preposterously HUGE bottle. So, when I saw that they had switched to Topo Chico, I was pleased, but I didn't pay attention to the noted size, or get sufficiently alarmed when my server asked: How many glasses do you need? And, once again, I received a massive bottle of mineral water. But at least the Topo Chico had a screw top, so I could take it home with me, and everyone got a good chuckle at my expense. :)

Where's my ridiculously large bottle of mineral water? Oh wait, here it is.