Homemade Pita Chips and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Have you ever wanted to try making your own hummus but were perhaps a bit too intimidated to try it? Well, it's time to overcome your fears and try your hand at making your own homemade hummus. And while you're at it, heck, make your own pita chips too! They are sooo simple. I was having a few people over to play some board games and wanted to offer a few easy appetizers...so I decided that hummus, pita chips, and veggies would be one yummy and healthy option. Here are the recipes for both the pita chips and hummus...you can figure out the veggies on your own. ;-)

Homemade Pita Chips

For the pita chips, you'll need some wraps or tortillas. This time I happened to use some whole wheat wraps, pictured below. First, I simply cut each wrap into eight wedges using a pizza cutter.

Next, I spread the slices evenly on an ungreased cookie sheet and brushed each one with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Mike was with me when I was making these, so I "let" him choose the seasonings. ;-) On half of the wedges he put a mixture of cayenne pepper and ground ginger...and on the other ones, he put some rosemary and garlic powder. Mmmmmm. We then just popped the cookie sheet in the oven (preheated to 425 degrees) and baked the chips for approximately 8 minutes or so. You may want to check the chips after about 6 minutes or so, depending on how thick or thin the wraps were that you used...they really don't take long to get a little bit browned and slightly crispy! So make sure to keep a close eye on them. Hmmmm, what to serve these pita chips with? I know! I know! Homemade hummus!! Read on.... :)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

So this recipe I adapted from Cooking Light...in the magazine, it's actually called Roasted Red Pepper and Cannellini Bean Dip. It's super yummy, easy, and quite healthy too! Here are the ingredients:

-1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

-1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

-1 (16 oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

-1 (7 oz.) can bottle roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained

-1 large garlic clove

-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place the first five ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. With the processor on, slowly add the oil through the chute. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/4 cup)

Nutrition Information: 62 calories, 3.5 g fat, 1.5 g protein, 5.9 g carb, 1.5 g fiber, 0 mg chol, .6 mg iron, 272 mg. sodium, 16 mg calcium

This time around, I didn't actually follow the recipe...I just "wung" it. ;-) I've made this many times so I just made it as best I could from memory. And it turned out great! I did not use fresh garlic, but instead I used a few teaspoons of minced garlic. I also added some chili powder, which isn't called for in the recipe, as well as dried basil (I didn't have fresh). Other than that, I think I followed it pretty much as it's written above! Give it a shot sometime yourself...you'll be glad you did! :)