Jalisco Hummus

An excellent bean dip is a practically perfect food. High in fiber and protein, low in fat, and full of whatever spice you like -- it's great as a dip/spread for chips, crackers, and raw veggies, or stuffed in pita bread with a handful of salad greens. I've come up with dozens of variations on hummus, the traditional Middle Eastern garbanzo bean puree, over the years. Here's a lunch I ate recently, with such a hummus spread on crisp rye crackers -- and accompanying a spinach salad with roasted red bell peppers.

This was a delicious but ordinary hummus, made by pureeing garbanzos, lemon juice, sesame tahini, garlic, salt, and a good pinch of cayenne pepper. The recipe I'm posting here today, though, is one of my most successful off-the-beaten path hummus experiments. I call it Jalisco hummus, because it uses a number of traditional south-of-the-border foods. It's not overly spicy, but you could always use less of the pickled jalapenos for a milder version. (Pickled jalapenos, BTW, are available in cans and jars at your regular supermarket.)

Give this lovely green bean dip a try. Maybe it will inspire you to do some hummus experiments of your own...

Blessings and bon appetit!

Jalisco Hummus

1 can (15 ounces, or 420 g) garbanzo beans
1/4 cup (55 g) raw, unsalted, shelled pumpkin seeds
1 cup (60 g) chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons (28 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons (18 g) minced pickled jalapenos
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place the garbanzo beans in a colander, rinse, and drain thoroughly. Meanwhile, in a dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium-high heat, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until most of them have popped. Transfer them to a blender and add the garbanzos, cilantro, lime juice, pickled jalapenos, garlic, and salt. Puree and enjoy with tortilla chips!