June 17, 2009

Home-made Garlic Hummus with Ricotta cheese

first

Bollywood in "So you think you can dance"! How cool is that?
There apparently was a Bollywood routine last season as well (which I seemed to have missed), but the fever this season is just at a whole another level because of the "Slumdog Millionaire" and the famous "Jai Ho" craze.
The dancers, Caitlin and Jason who performed to the Jai Ho song were pretty awesome. Some pretty great hand and foot work. I am no authority on dancing, but I have grown with enough Indian movies to know what an entertaining number would be. Our movies have an average of 5-7 songs a movie with actors twisting and turning their body parts in some graceful and some not so graceful moves.
Anyway, I just hope there is more Bollywood and more good dancing this season.
That said, my favorite was the samba performed by Max and Kayla. They just fired the stage up!
This dance oriented reality show (competition) airs on "Fox" on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Check your local guide for timings.

On to the recipe...
Today, we have a creamy hummus spread on a crunchy whole wheat pita bread.
I added part skim ricotta cheese to give it that light airy feel. You may omit it if you'd rather not have any dairy.
I toasted the pita bread using a bread toaster, came out really crispy and beats the pan heated pita any day. I did not have tahini on hand which is traditionally used while making hummus, so I used sesame seeds and ground it up into a paste. Tasted just as good.

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Home-made Garlic Hummus with Ricotta cheese

Ingredients:

Boiled chickpeas/garbanzo - 2 cups (canned will also work)
Toasted sesame seeds - 3 tbsp (or use sesame paste)
Red chilly flakes - 1 tbsp
Pepper - A pinch
Salt - To taste
Garlic - 2 cloves (use roasted for a more nuttier flavor)
Part skim Ricotta cheese - 1/4 cup
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Cilantro - For garnish
Lime/Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Method:

Using a food processor or blender, make a paste out of toasted sesame seeds, red chilly flakes, pepper, salt, garlic with a little bit of water.
When you get a smooth paste, add chick peas and blend again into a smooth consistency.
Finally add the ricotta and drizzle olive oil. Give it a whirl just until combined.
Sprinkle the lime juice on top and mix with a spoon.

Spread over toasted whole wheat pita bread and top with chopped cilantro.

For pita bread, you may:

1. Heat it on a hot pan till lightly brown.
2. Cut into wedges and heat it in a preheated oven at 400F-425F for 10-15 min.
3. Cut a pita into 4 triangles and toast in a bread toaster for 3-4 min.(I followed this method)

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72 comments:

  1. wow! what a tasty ..hummus ...nice clicks as usual ...:)

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  2. Wow anu i love hummus... looking good and tempting .. can i have a slice

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  3. Hummus looks great. I make my hummus at home too! I like it with carrots!I also add a little lime juice to it.It stays longer!

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  4. i didnt make the hummus, but with some store bought hummus tried making a Paneer Pita Pizza..check it out - http://memoirsofeverdaylife.blogspot.com/2009/06/say-aaahhh.html

    u hummus looks yum..will try it on my recipe next time :)

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  5. Ricotta cheese in hummus?? interesting idea and I am sure it imparted an interesting texture to the hummus, looks perfect !

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  6. Hummus is my favorite dips of all, & i make it so often with variations. i have never tried ricotta cheese! Looks awesome. Great idea to toast the pita in the toaster:-)

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  7. the Hummus looks very creamy and love it with bread and chips the best starter on a bbq day!!!

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  8. Divya Vikram - I did add lemon juice to my hummus. Forgot to mention that in my recipe. I have now updated it. Hummus is never complete without that tangy lemon taste, right?

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  9. wow...adding ricotta cheese in hummus takes it to a different level...loved delicious slathered over the pita bread!

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  10. Oh the hummus looks gorgeous! Never added ricotta cheese. I have tried with yoghurt only.

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  11. Delicious!!!Did you finish up the Blueberries???I have them from costco now.

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  12. The pic is great! and am quite sure it tastes as good as well :)

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  13. Drooooool ! i would love to take a big bite ! i love the combo of hummus and pita !

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  14. Yummy...pita with hummus..awesome!!!

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  15. Wow, looks yummy. Like the idea of adding creamy Ricotta in Hummus .. a must try.

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  16. They look yummy Anu......Adding riccotta cheese is new to me but sounds like a tasty combo!

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  17. Great hummus... I love your clicks too...

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  18. nice recipe...I was looking for it for long time..nice clicks

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  19. Great idea of adding ricotta cheese making the hummus extra creamy. My son loves hummus, will make this for him. Thanks for the recipe.

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  20. I didn't know about Bollywood dancing on that show. Very cool!

    Love, love, love the pictures, Anu! And that hummus sounds delightful!

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  21. Liked the addition of ricotta cheese in the hummus.Nice idea.

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  22. cheese in humus! superb idea n it looks so good too :)

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  23. Delicious humus, never tried making at home... will try sometime... looks great :)

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  24. Hummus is one of my all time fav foods. Ive never tried it with ricotta - a must try soon!

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  25. AnonymousJune 16, 2009

    Delicious homemade hummus, love the idea of it with ricotta cheese!

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  26. I love hummus! The ricotta is a good addition, I often add yogurt for tha airy light feel.

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  27. u know,I have never tried making hummus ever..:D..dunno y..mebe never went deep into that area..looks good on that pita..esply when there is ricotta,I have a soft spot there..;)

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  28. lovely looking hummus! you have given a very nice twist with the cheese.mmmmmmmmm.....

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  29. I love hummus, like the idea of adding ricotta into them.

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  30. I like that garlic flavor in Hummus very interesting recipe that second pic. is so tempting yum yum.

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  31. Wow,cheesy hummus in pita bread wud hav tasted great!!

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  32. Hummus looks so thick and creamy, love it with bread, tempting click!

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  33. Hummus would be really good right now. I've always been a fan, but that ricotta is a great idea. You're right about the airiness :)

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  34. Great food blog!
    Loved the way you present the recipes. Planning to try out some of them. :-)

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  35. looks tempting dear...nice clicks...

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  36. That platter looks so yummy, could have the whole thing. Its a great idea to add ricotta, sounds delicious.

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  37. That slice coated with Hummus looks amazing anu..would like to have atleast one slice if you allow me ..:)

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  38. I LOVE hummus!
    I enjoy SYTYCD, too! My favorite last week were the first ones who danced, that was awesome. (I don't remember names very well.)

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  39. adding ricotta must give it a smoother texture. n Garlic in hummus..yummy!!

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  40. Ricotta is a yummier addition to the creamy hummus.
    Those are some energetic dancers doing the bollywood numbers:)

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  41. this is the most beautiful presentation of hummus ive seen..great job, cool recipe

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  42. Yummy creamy hummus! looks brillaint divya.

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  43. Hummus with cheese, thats a brilliant idea DIvya..looks amazing!

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  44. That's a very creative idea to add ricotta in hummus. Love the idea.

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  45. Looks yummy! Nice recipe..

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  46. Oh wow that's an creamy hummus.....

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  47. this would be perfect for the sunday snack event I am hosting you know :)I made a very similar one with sun dried tomatoes.

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  48. That looks so creamy & mouthwatering.

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  49. It look tasty~ Nice recipe~ *Thumbs up*

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  50. Is Graminas' Kitchen going to post anymore? It would be a great addition to my list and for diversity.

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  51. very nice click and it looks so nice, yummy plus perfect....

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  52. Nice image,great job..
    nice site to learn cooking

    Work from home

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  53. Healthy dip, my all time fav'...as usual awesome clicks.

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  54. Iam drooling over these, feel like picking up one crispy pita with the exotic topping from your picture.

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  55. I have always loved hummus ... sometimes have it with salty biscuits too. Like the idea of garlic in it. Lovely looking hummus Anu!

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  56. Woww.. amazing clicks.. looks yummyy :)

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  57. these look so perfect and the pics r just beautiful!!!!

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  58. AnonymousJune 22, 2009

    This is just all too incredible!!!! I love the plate BTW, gosh.. I am drooling here.

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  59. yummy is wat i can say!!

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  60. Hummus looks great and snaps are too tempting,want to have a bite :)

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  61. Neat Click,I love hummus and adding ricotta makes it more interesting.

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  62. Hummus and Pita bread is a must starter for me and my hubby.......simply loved ur garlic version......

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  63. Humms looks so yumm and I just love the pictures.

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  64. mmm yummy! just found you today and these look FAB! thanks for sharing :)

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  65. I love ricotta so i can imagine how yummy it was :)

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  66. That's such a great idea to add ricotta to the hummus.

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  67. hi.. it looks yummy, cant wait try but was wondering abt the shelf life for hummus? Does it freeze well?

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  68. garlic hummus sounds mouthwatering.Bookmarked!

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  69. Your blog is one of the best blogs I have come across.

    Work From Home Jobs

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)