Homemade Coconut Curry Hummus

Hope Foods Thai Coconut Curry Hummus is one, if not my all time favorite packaged hummus. It's spicy and creamy and a little coconut-y and just perfect. But, I hate paying the price for packaged hummus, and I hate the earth paying the price for that plastic. Especially now because my apartment building does not have a recycling bin, only garbage. So, I do my best to reduce and reuse since recycling is very unfortunately not an option. Anyway, I looked at the ingredients on the Hope Foods hummus, and decided to attempt a homemade version. I expected to have to try a few times to get it right, but I am beyond excited to say I got it right the first try. I went really light on the curry and coconut at first knowing that adding more is much easier than adding less once it's already in the mix. My version tastes almost identical to theirs, and cost about one dollar give or take to make, and no plastic containers! I wrote down the recipe so I could share. It's so, so good. This is one of my favorite kitchen experiments ever! And it's super easy, ready in under five minutes. I will say this before I type the ingredients, they use lime juice, I used lemon because that's what I had. They also use agave nectar and I added no sweetener. I don't feel like it's needed. They also use olive oil and I don't feel like it needed oil, the tahini adds enough richness. And lastly they use jalapeno, and I forget to get a jalapeno at the grocery, so I used some green dragon sauce from Trader Joe's. If I were to use jalapeno, I would probably start with a tablespoon of chopped jalapeno and add more if needed. If you are sensitive to spice, leave it out the curry powder adds enough kick.

                                                                       

                                                              Coconut Curry Hummus

• 1 can or two Cups cooked Chickpeas
• 2 T. Tahini
• 1/4 C. Water
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Curry Powder
• 1/2 Tsp. Turmeric
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
• 1 Tsp. Green Dragon Sauce
• 1/8 Tsp. Ground Ginger
• 3 T. Unsweetened Grated or Shredded Coconut

Add the water to your blender or food processor first, then add all the rest of the ingredients and blend away until smooth and creamy. I ended up adding about two more tablespoons of water. If you need to add more water just add a tablespoon at a time. When I first tried to make homemade hummus, I had lots of fails because I would add too much or not enough liquid and I just nevr could achieve the right texture. I find now that 1/4 cup plus one or two more tablespoons seems to be the magic number. This stuff is seriously addictive. This batch won't make it past today, I can't stop eating it! For the shredded coconut, check the bulk section of the grocery. I paid like thirty cents for mine, and I have enough for many more batches of this hummus!

For dinner I made potatoes in a new to me way. I know that sounds crazy with as many potatoes as I eat, but thanks to Unknown/Trockwood I tried Hot Crash Potatoes. They're basically skin on small to medium potatoes boiled whole, then smashed and baked until crunchy. I used rosemary and garlic to season mine. I served them with a spinach and cucumber salad. I made a dip and dressing for my salad with horseradish mustard, a little Just Mayo, and a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar. Really, really delicious. And it's fun making potatoes in a new way, so thanks for the suggestion!

And here's these three living their best cuddling lives ever! Notice kanye right in the middle of the fest as usual!