Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Hummus

Whoa! So good.

Last month we went camping with my sister and her fiance. It was such a fun week to spend together and we made some great food for the trip. I made some of my usual camping favorites, including my homemade granola, chili, and baked potatoes. We also roasted some corn on the cob by the fire using the same method as the baked potatoes. It was delicious.

My sister’s partner was eager to make some hummus with our Vitamix, and I was in the mood to add in additional herbs and spices to change it up. My original hummus recipe makes a large batch, so we made the whole batch and divided it in half so that we’d have the original version and another to add some extra goodies to. She had a great idea to add roasted red peppers and basil. It was so delicious that I decided to create a recipe for it!

But first… how to make homemade roasted bell peppers.

We have a fantastic farmer’s market near us and they have excellent peppers, among other great produce. I’ve learned that sellers are eager to get rid of their “bad” produce/produce that has bruises or marks. This produce is generally called “seconds” and it’s usually kept in a bin somewhere out of site from the stand. Ask to see a farmer’s “seconds” and you’ll be amazed at how normal the produce looks. You might find a bruise or mark here or there, but the produce is usually still fine. The farmer sells 2 organic peppers for $3.00, but he gave us his seconds for…. 6 for $1! Woohoo!

Preheat oven to 400º F (or turn Broiler on high)
1. Wash peppers and dry completely
2. Cut in half and remove seeds. Better to do this than scoop seeds out of soft, floppy roasted peppers.
3. Place peppers on a baking sheet- tip: Line sheet with foil (not pictured) to keep the juice of the peppers from staining or sticking to the sheet. 
4. Place baking sheet with peppers in broiler or on the top rack of oven.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes.
6. Once peppers are charred and wrinkly, remove from oven.
7. Place roasted peppers into a brown paper bag and close bag. Wait approximately 30 minutes until peppers have cooled. This makes it much easier to remove the skin.
8. Remove peppers from bag and peel off skin. They’re ready to eat!

I purchased fresh whole wheat sangak (Iranian flat bread) from a local market to dip into the hummus. I wish I would’ve taken a picture before I cut it into little rectangles; it was a HUGE sheet of bread.