Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Lemony Pita Chips

Whenever I go to a party, I like to bring something yummy along with me.  After studying baking and pastry in school, it usually ends up being a dessert of some sort.  I'm lucky to have family and friends who let me test out new recipes on them!  However, when a sweet isn't needed, I usually turn to appetizers.  Hummus with homemade pita chips is always a good standby- everyone loves chips with dip and this is a recipe that you can change up to be new and different each time you make it.  For this occasion, I added in some roasted red peppers to give it a kick of flavor and color.  I also cut some of the fat in the dip by reducing the amount of Tahini I usually use and swapping the olive oil for plain, low-fat yogurt.  It turned out really tangy and delicious, plus the dip now had a boost of protein and live active cultures from the yogurt.  I brushed the pita chips in a lemon-infused olive oil to complement the tanginess of the dip.  If you don't have a flavored olive oil, feel free to use the olive oil you have on hand, or if you are super ambitious, make your own!  You can click here for some step by step directions.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

1 14-16 ounce can of chick peas, drained

2 peeled cloves of garlic

2 Tbs. tahini

1 Tbs. lemon juice

*1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt*

1/4 cup chopped, roasted red peppers

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

-Put chick peas in the bowl of a food processor or blender.

-Add garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and yogurt.

-Process or blend until smooth.

-Add chopped, roasted red peppers.  Process or blend until smooth.

-Season to taste with salt and pepper.

-Serve with lemony pita chips.

Lemony Pita Chips

Ingredients:

4 rounds of pita bread

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil (Available at Olive and Well, www.oliveandwell.com)

Sea salt ( I like to use a more coarse salt, such as fleur de sel)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

-Cut pita rounds in half and open up the pockets.

-Cut along the edges to separate the sides of the pockets so that you have thin pieces of pita.

-Cut pita halves into triangles of desired size.

-Spread on two foil lined baking sheets in a single layer.

-Brush each side with lemon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

-Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, rotating and turning as needed to ensure even browning.

-Cool to room temperature and serve with roasted red pepper hummus.

*Unused pita chips should be stored in an airtight container to prevent softening.