Raw Hummus- oh, yes please!

I am slightly addicted to Sabra's Roasted Red Pepper hummus.  Now, this love affair began years ago when I was introduced to it with pita bread.  While I don't eat the wheat anymore, I did eat the hummus.

It's not entirely good for you (though WAY better than things like chips and dip!), so I wanted to find a raw alternative.  ...And I made one.

You'll need:
Soaked and sprouted chick peas.  -super easy to do, I soaked them for a while and then drained them.  Waited a day or so until they sprouted.  Boom.  super easy.
1/2 red bell pepper
juice of 1 lemon
5 or so sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (made my own in the dehydrator- WAY cheaper than buying them!
garlic powder (because I didn't have fresh on hand)
smoked paprika to taste,
liquid smoke (totally optional, but I used pecan to give it a nutty flavor)
smidgen of sea salt

put all ingredients into the food processor and process together.  add some olive oil (I used what the tomatoes are sitting in) to help it blend.  Blend until creamy.

no, a little bit more.

Keep going.

Little further.

Seriously, when you think you're done, give it a few extra seconds.
there you go.  It made WAY more than I'll eat in 1 sitting, so I put it in a baggie, labeled it with today's date and the contents and threw it in my freezer.

I'm going to use it as a hummus dip with some homemade carrot/onion/flax crackers and with veggies.  I'll use it as a spread for my lentil burgers (I'm making them for dinner- boom, baby!) and I'll probably eat it with whatever.  I don't want to eat too much because I did add olive oil to it, and I'm doing my best to stay 80/10/10, but this tastes phenomenal and I can't wait to have more of it.

I think we seriously under utilize things like lentils and chick peas in the raw food world.  A lot of people advise staying away from beans- and they totally can!- but when you're on a serious budget, this makes a great alternative for your raw.  Just be careful of how much you eat.  Always opt for leafy greens and fresh veggies when you can.  Use these things as alternatives.

OMG, I bet this hummus would be phenom on zoodles!  BRB, have to go make lunch with it...