Creamy Roasted Garlic Hummus

Seeing as it's one of my favorite foods, it's not surprising that I have several dozen hummus recipes. In October I posted my Spicy Hummus recipe. This time, it's all about the roasted garlic. Though it may seem time consuming, roasting garlic is very easy and really brings out garlic's nutty and sweet flavor while cutting down on its sharpness. It's well worth your time, I promise.

Though I've yet to find a good gluten-free pita bread recipe, there are many other ways to enjoy hummus - It makes a great sandwich on toasted bread with other ingredients like baby spinach, tomatoes, olives, pickles and/or goat cheese. I bring small containers of it to work with slices of raw carrot, celery and red bell peppers or with rice crackers. In a pinch, I'll mix it with additional lemon juice for a salad dressing.

CREAMY ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS

2 cups canned or cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 head garlic
1 lemon, juice of
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut off the very top of the garlic clove (about 1/4") so that the tops of most of the cloves are exposed slightly. Coat with a little olive oil and wrap securely in tin foil. Roast garlic in oven for 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool.

Using your fingers, squeeze the soft, roasted garlic out of each clove into food processor. Add all other ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Scrape ingredients off sides of food processor to make sure it blends evenly.

Serve at room temperature with crudites, warm pita or crackers. Optional: Sprinkle with chopped parsley or paprika before serving.