Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Happy March!  I have to say at almost 2 months into food blogging, starting this blog is one of the best decisions I have made.  I was a little apprehensive at first because I didn't know if anyone would actually read the thing, but it has opened up tons of doors and really helped solidify my love for cooking and baking, and sharing that passion with other people! 

A little background...when I was younger, I dreamed of going to school for photography.  There's just something I loved about being able to capture a moment that you would later look back upon and be flooded with memories of.  It's so true that a picture is worth a thousand words! I can't even tell you how many boxes I have that are filled with photos that I just cannot part with.  I'm very guilty of being nostalgic!

Then, in high school, I discovered my love for writing.  Confession: I am a total grammar nerd and constantly correct people (mostly in my head so I'm not known as an insufferable know-it-all) and cringe when I see spelling errors.  I'm human so I make mistakes too, but come on, we all know it's could "have" not could "of" and for the love of God (whichever one you believe in), please just be sure to use they're/their/there correctly!  ...Okay, I am going to stop this little tirade of mine before it spins out of control because I don't want to bore you with all of my grammatical pet peeves (I hope someone out there (note: not their or they're!) can relate to me!).  Anywho, in high school I was the editor for the school paper for the "Life & Style" column, and I really enjoyed expressing myself through writing.  Unfortunately, all everyone keeps hearing about is the struggle of college grads (especially in Communications majors) finding work after finishing their degree, and it really worried me to fall into that category.  So, I decided to try taking a different route.  I am happy to say I just received my Associate's Degree in a Liberal Arts Science Transfer program and now plan to double major in Business and Culinary Nutrition, because, well, I love food and would love to own my own bakery/cafe someday!   

So, I rambled a bit about my love for photography and my love for writing..now where does the love for food come in, you ask?  Well, I didn't want to completely throw away my other passions in life, but I always had a lingering thought of how much I used to love helping my mom in the kitchen.  I didn't really begin exploring all of my culinary and baking options until I began living on my own, which then turned into me experimenting in the kitchen quite frequently.  I started off by bringing desserts to birthday parties and any special occasion I could, and I realized how much I enjoyed creating things with my own hands and seeing the joy it brought to people.  I would bring some cupcakes here, some cake balls there...I became hooked to creating!  Then, after going back and forth for months, I finally decided to begin documenting it using this little blog of mine.  And boy am I glad that I got over my worries and finally made it!  I never would have imagined that I could combine all of my passions into one thing; a little page about baking and cooking with GillyCakes. 

(I swear, all of this information is relevant!)  You see, I don't want my whole blog to be a sugar-coated version of myself (no pun intended), so here and there I will let you in on some different "things about me." Whether it's an update of my day or a story that relates to my post,  in time you will learn more about me (whether you want to or not!).  I am sarcastic, I have a big heart, I (have a tendency to) have a truck-driver mouth, I'm sensitive, I love to laugh, I'm a hopeless romantic, I love animals, I'm corny, I'm a food blog addict, and so on and so forth.  But most importantly, I love what I do when it comes to creating, writing, photographing, and sharing my stories and food with you.

And somehow in some odd way, all of this led up to me making hummus for the first time.  I already divulged that I love me some hummus, but I had never tried making it on my own.  I knew it wasn't hard to do, I just never got around to doing it.  Until now that is.  Now that I have my blog, I have an excuse to stop making excuses!  My mental list of "Things to Bake/Cook" is endless, but I really wanted to try doing this and decided it was time to stop procrastinating!  And now, I will only be making it myself.  Homemade is so much better!  Roasted red pepper has always been my favorite flavor, so I thought it would be only fair for that to be the first one I attempt.  Let me tell you how delicious this is compared to the store-bought version.  Really, really freakin' delish!  It's creamy, spicy, and totally yummy!  If you have <15 minutes, you should without a doubt try it out!  And now, for what you really care about...the recipe!


Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

• In an electric blender or food processor, puree the chickpeas, red peppers, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Process, using long pulses, until the mixture is fairly smooth, and slightly fluffy. Make sure to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between pulses. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The hummus can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before serving.)

• Sprinkle the hummus with the chopped parsley before serving.

Source: All Recipes