CASHEW NUT HUMMUS & GARLIC PITA CHIPS (BUZZ MAGAZINE)

Cashew Nut Hummus & Garlic Pita Chips.

Ever have somebody drop by unexpectedly, say they’re hungry and all you have is a can of beans and half a bag of stale Doritos to offer? Well no you don’t, because who on Earth leaves half a bag of Doritos, that’s ‘eat the bag in one sitting’ material – but still. That clammy palm feeling of having nothing to offer a drop-in visitor is a feeling I hate but alas, here is a recipe that can dry your palms with hardly no effort and using a bunch of nonsense you probably got knocking around your pantry already.

I gave this recipe to Buzz Magazine this month for my article contribution because I felt that people needed to calm down about hummus. I’ve seen people absolutely lose their damn minds over trying to find tahini paste in order to nail the hummus taste but to be honest – you can do without it and use a sesame peanut butter base. And that’s not something extravagant – that’s literally sesame oil and peanut butter. It tastes the same and they’re much cheaper and easier to find. Or source – as you hipsters like to call it.

(Find out where to find the magazine locally by clicking here —> http://www.buzzmag.co.uk/distribution-outlets/find-a-buzz-cardiff-and-outskirts/)

There is nothing worse than having friends pop over of an evening unexpectedly and having nothing but some stale crisps and a half eaten jar of olives to offer them. The solution is to have an easily available and effortlessly crafted snack to pull out when surprised with guests. This hummus also makes use of an oil and peanut butter – so you won’t have to worry about tracking down the usual tahini paste!

For the Cashew Nut Hummus
1 can of Chickpeas
Small handful of Cashew Nuts
2 tbs Smooth Peanut Butter
1 tbs Sesame Oil
2 tbs Sour Cream
1 tbs Lemon Juice
½ tsp Cumin
Sprinkle of Sea Salt
Sprinkle of Paprika to serve

For the Garlic Pita Chips
2 White Pita Breads
1 Garlic Clove
1 tbs Olive Oil
Sprinkle of Sea Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Drain the can of chickpeas and rinse thoroughly with cold water
3. Put the cashew nuts in a pan and dry roast them until they start to colour slightly

4. Place all ingredients for the hummus into a food processor and blitz down to a rubbly consistency
5. For the Garlic Pita Chips, in a small bowl, pour in the olive oil before grating in the bulb of garlic and mixing

6. Using a small pastry brush (or your fingers, as I do!) rub the pita breads with the garlic oil mixture before sprinkling with salt
7. Place on a baking sheet and put into the oven for 15 minutes
8. Allowing the breads to cool before breaking into smaller ‘chip’ sized bites
9. Spoon the hummus into a bowl and sprinkle a little paprika on top before serving