Roasted poblano-chipotle hummus

I love a good hummus.  Before going vegan, Harlan and I gorged ourselves on cheese and crackers everyday when we got home from work.  After giving up dairy, I was in need of a different go-to snack to help hold off the hunger in between meals.  Like all good snacks, it needed to be something quick, easy to have around, and delicious.  Chia seeds, fresh fruit and almonds are all nice choices, but hummus and dips are definitely my favorite.  I try to make a few every weekend and have them in the fridge throughout the week for easy snacking.  They can be eaten with crackers, pita chips, pretzels, apples, baby carrots, cucumber or any other raw veggie, or they are great to spread on sandwiches or wraps.  This recipe is one that came about when Harlan and I were going through a chipotle phase and were adding it to just about everything.  Hey, at least it was less offensive to our olfactory glands than when we went through our garlic phase.

Ingredients: 

1 poblano pepper (often sold as pasilla peppers, which is technically wrong)
1 green bell pepper
1 red (or yellow) onion
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
Cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp cashew butter (or 2 tsp tahini)
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (about half a large lemon)
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground chipotle powder (use ¼ tsp if you are sensitive to spice)
1 can garbanzo beans (about 2 cups)
¼ cup of liquid from garbanzo bean can (or water)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F, or 375F if using a convection oven (which I did).  Times and temps differ with ovens, so please check on your veggies along the way to make sure you are not burning them!

Cut the peppers and onions into large pieces and peel the garlic cloves.  Place all veggies into a large pan for roasting.  Make sure that your pan is big enough that the veggies aren’t crowded.

Drizzle the veggies with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and cracked pepper.  Mix the veggies around so that everything is well distributed.

Roast in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, taking out the pan half way through and mixing everything around again.  I usually let them roast until the edges of the onions are starting to get crispy.  Take out the pan and let the veggies cool.

Add the veggies to a food processor and blend until well mixed.

Add the rest of the ingredients- lemon juice (make sure to filter out all seeds), cashew butter, spices*, garbanzo beans and water.

*You can always adjust seasonings after blending, so if you are worried about the spices, start with smaller amounts and add more after tasting.  Also, where you get your spices can make a world of difference.  We get all of ours from Penzey’s, which is amazing.  You will not believe the difference until you order your first bag from them and your entire kitchen is filled with the delicious aroma of your spice within a second of opening the bag.  Check out their selection here: http://www.penzeys.com/*

Blend all ingredients, adjusting the spices and water until you are happy with the taste and consistency.  If desired, sprinkle the top with more chipotle powder or with smoked paprika.  Enjoy!