I must say up front that this is a recipe from a co-worker, Janet, who brought this to work recently for a potluck, and I liked it so much that she not only gave me the recipe, but she also gave me a sample of the cilantro pesto to take home.

Actually, this is just an approximation of what Janet may have done, since I didn’t write the recipe down, and only approximate amounts were used, anyway. Which is all good. This is often how I cook, aside from baking, which is more precise.

She did use black-eyed peas for the hummus, instead of garbanzo beans, which was something I really wanted to try. Unfortunately, the store I went to did not have any form of black-eyed peas, so I went with the more traditional garbanzo bean.

If you are thinking of making this, feel free to tweak the amounts of each ingredient to your liking.

I really liked the result, plus it’s vegan! I think I could eat this once a week without getting tired of it.

Or, if I did get tired of it, I could just go back to making a basil pesto, or  else try another herb to see what happens. Or try another bean besides garbanzo beans. There are probably many different possible combinations.

The cilantro pesto, though, coupled with the almonds and olive oil, is so good that I did not miss the cheese that normally goes into it. I love cheese, but if I can cut it out of a recipe that normally calls for it, without missing it too much, I’ll do that. Just trying to be healthier.

 

Curried Hummus with Cilantro Pesto

Serves 4

ingredients:

(2) 14-ounce cans of garbanzo beans

1/4 c tahini

4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons curry paste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and/or sprinkle over as garnish

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

1/2 cup water

method:

Put all ingredients, except the olive oil and water, in a food processor with a blade attachment. (if you prefer, you can also just use cayenne as garnish at end.)

When blended, scrape down sides and start food processor again, drizzling olive oil to blend. Adjust salt and pepper and lemon juice, if needed. Add more or less water, depending on how thick or thin you like it.

 

Cilantro Pesto

ingredients:

2 cups of cilantro leaves, loosely packed

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup almonds

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

method:

Place all ingredients in food processor with blade attachment, and blend. Scrape down sides of food processor, then run food processor again until blended. Adjust for lemon juice, salt and pepper, if needed. Makes about 1 cup.

For Pita Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut pita bread into triangles, either leaving them as doubled, or separating each side, making two single chips. Brush both sides of each chip with olive oil, then sprinkle Italian herb mix, or garlic powder, or just salt and pepper. Or whatever else you think might be good to sprinkle on! Bake for 7 to 12 minutes, checking for doneness after about five minutes, to prevent burning. I think mine took about 10 minutes. They should be crisp, and golden browned in parts, but not too brown.