Well the humidity has finally hit but luckily I am in A/C! I woke up after only getting up once during the night which means I got a good night’s sleep! Thank the Lord. I quickly got up and put on my tennis shoes and went for a 45 minutes walk and then stretched on my yoga ball. How about that for a great start to the morning?
Well, it was not complete until I finished my morning devotional reading from Joel 2 today and enjoying a strawberry, golden raspberry, banana smoothie made with soy milk.
Does that not look good? I did not have any of my essentials because I was already bringing so much stuff from my house that I felt like I did not need to bring half my kitchen with me as well. It was very filling and it definitely gave me my dose of fruits.
Last night I was finally able to prepare something delicious! We have a mixer for our choir tonight so I knew I have to plan on bringing something delicious. I always default to something sweet but I decided to bring something savory.
What is the most ideal snack / appetizer to bring to a party? Yes, hummus or a dip. I personally like pimento cheese sandwiches or dip but I decided to put a twist to my normal hummus recipe adding fresh basil from my friend’s garden and some pimentos.
What can I say? YUM! I prepared it last night and tried it this morning because I wanted to make sure the flavors melded. Did they ever? If you are looking for another recipe for basil, definitely use this!
You can add this to your sandwiches and add grilled veggies. Wow, I might just have to do this for lunch. Oh wait. I have to keep the dip for the party! Darn, I am making another batch this weekend. I also added a little caynenne pepper for a it of a bite but you are welcome to leave it out.
Hummus is so filling and it is pretty amazing the many variations you can make with chickpeas. It has lots of iron and protein and is even the perfect pregnancy power food. Bring the carrots and pita chips because this is the best hummus dip, although I am looking forward making my pumpkin hummus VERY soon! Enjoy this recipe!
Pimento-Basil Hummus
2- 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, reserve 4 Tbsp liquid
1- 4-ounce jar of pimentos
10 large basil leaves
2 Tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) (optional)
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Place all ingredients in a food processor or a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth. Refrigerate overnight for flavors to come together.
