Our eighth Plate to Plate challenge is a lovely dip for any time of the year, but perfect for spring and summer when fresh vegetables are available. When I read Heidi Swanson was writing a new book, I got excited. Her blog was one of the first I started reading, and I have a handful of favorite recipes off her website. When I was in New England several years ago she had just published her second book, Super Natural Everyday, and I bought it in Cambridge, MA. That book has been used many, many times. Her third book, Near and Far, touches my heart even more. Having grown up in California and being an avid traveler like Heidi, I find my style of cooking echos hers. Lots of fresh vegetables with some ethnic ingredients thrown in. When her book arrived in my mail box, I was so excited! I made mental notes to make almost every single recipe in the book. I have tried several and so far, I have not been disappointed. BTW, the ginger cookies are amazing!
I suggested to Jillian that we make the red lentil hummus out of the book since hummus is very popular in our household. But, it didn’t quite turn out the way we expected. Jillian’s hummus was too loose and mine was too thick. Next time I’d add more water and a bit more spice or herbs. I liked the smooth texture, though. Jillian made a lavish Middle Eastern spread with her hummus, we ate mine for lunch with fresh veggies and my favorite sesame crackers.
Jillian’s photos are on the left, mine are on the right.
Please head over to Jillian’s website to see her post about the challenge and to admire her brand new website design! Also, you can now follow her on Instagram and see more of her delicious creations.
Red Lentil Hummus
from Heidi Swanson’s Near and Far
- 2.5 cups cooked red lentils
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 3 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2/3 cup / 160 ml tahini
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2-3 Tbs whey, kefir or warm water
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds
- olive oil, minced chives to serve
Adding the cooked lentils and garlic to a food processor and pulse for at least a minute, scraping the paste down a few times. Add the lemon juice, tahini and salt. Blend until the lentils form a doughy ball. Add the water a bit at a time until the hummus is smooth and light. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice or salt. Serve with the minced chives, olive oil and black sesame seeds.
Cooked lentils: Rince 1.5 cups /255 g dried red lentils and place in a saucepan with 1 3/4 cups / 415 ml water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until soft. About 15 minutes.
Notes: I made several changes while making the hummus. The most significant was to use yellow instead of red lentils. Simply because I thought I had a whole package in the pantry while making lentil soup two days earlier. When I noticed I didn’t, I used the yellow ones instead. I added a bit more lemon juice and water, because the hummus was very dry but it could have used more. Decide how much you want to use as you go along. I didn’t use whey, just water.
