Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I spotted a lone can of chickpeas in my cupboard yesterday and decided to put it out of its misery and make it into some hummus. I've never made hummus at home before, and often purchase store-bought varieties, some which don't impress me at all. My problem was that I didn't have any tahini on hand. I did have sesame oil, so I decided to sub with it. So here's the recipe for some easy, yummy hummus.

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

1 can chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved, 15.5 oz size

¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh parsley

1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp crushed red pepper (OPTIONAL)

In a blender, combine chickpeas and roasted red peppers and blend until minced. Add remaining ingredients and 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid. Blend until mixed and smooth. Serve with your favorite chips or toasted pita bread. Ideas for garnishes – shredded Parmesan cheese, a few whole chickpeas, and fresh parsley.

I Heart Food Trucks

Our local Lexus dealership hosted a food truck event last Friday, and I was so happy my hubby discovered the ad for it! We went with the fam to check out the 18 or so food trucks that had descended upon our town. A lot of them drove up from Miami, where it seems the food truck action is bigger. I was excited to see that Sakaya Kitchen's food truck was there, Dim Ssam a gogo. SK is located in Midtown Miami, and serves up delicious Asian fusion fare.

After a walk through to check out all the trucks and their menus, we decided to sample a few. The burgers at the Latin House Grill looked really good, and that's coming from someone who's not a big fan of burgers. One was a Southwest burger, complete with jalapenos and an onion ring, the other, a Mexican burger, with Chihuahua cheese. My fave was the Mexican burger, and at 2 for $10 they were at a great price.

We saw that there was a HUGE line at CheeseMe Grilled Cheese & Sliders, so it must be the truck to be at, right?? So we got a Kobe beef slider, which I was excited to try as I had never had Kobe. This slider looks delicioso (pic below), but to me the beef itself wasn't that tasty. It lacked seasoning. The toppings of melted provolone and bacon were the best part.

Tacos from Nacho Bizness Taco Bar were next. We had 2 selections - a Spicy Korean Pulled Pork Taco with Cucumbers, and a Grilled Mahi Mahi Taco with Tropical Pineapple Slaw. These tacos were so GOOD, I should have gone back for seconds!

We didn't bother to buy from Dim Ssam a gogo since we've eaten there so many times, and already know their food is delish. When our tummies were stuffed, we decided to look about dessert. There were a few choices, from Sugar Yummy Mama to the Chipstix booth which offered to deep fry my favorite candy bars. I settled on the Big Kahuna truck, with its promise of a Stuffed Snow Cone. Sweet, juicy, ice creamy goodness was my Cherry snow cone with Vanilla Soft Serve ice cream in the middle!

To follow Miami Food trucks, visit MiamiFoodTrucks.com.