Buffalo Hummus
Hello, my name is Kate and I'm addicted to buffalo sauce. Like the Frank's Red Hot ads say, "I put that shit on everything." On cauliflower. In salad dressing. On avocado toast. No savory food is safe. As I was thinking of something for the Super Bowl this weekend, it was only natural that my brainstorming started with my fave condiment. But I didn't want to make wings—waaaaay too much work. Cauliflower "wings" crossed my mind, but I knew that would disappoint the bulk of the crowd (AKA everyone who is not me). I used to make this incredibly cheesy buffalo chicken dip, but that needs to be piping hot at all times, lest you be reminded you're just eating blocks of cream cheese with canned chicken mixed in. Then I wondered if I could do a cold dip with it. I hadn't ever heard of buffalo hummus, but it seemed like a pretty good combo of everything I wanted: 1. Something I could eat a ton of without feeling bad. 2. Adequately buffaloey. 3. Totally fine at room temp while the kitchen is taken over by slow cookers and the oven is filled with every variety of spinach artichoke dip. 4. Can be served with vegetables without looking like a weirdo (You do you, person who eats guac with celery sticks instead of chips). Sure, there are lots of nutritious things mixed in here (protein/folate/iron/zinc in the chickpeas, vitamin C in the peppers, good fats and loads of minerals in the tahini), but let's not lose sight of its ultimate purpose—to transport buffalo sauce to your face.
2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 c + 2 Tbsp tahini
1/3 c + 2 Tbsp Frank's Red Hot
1 roasted red pepper (I used jarred)
3 cloves garlic (No need to do anything other than remove the peels)
4 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Blue cheese crumbles and chives for garnish
Vegetables for serving
Place chickpeas in a food processor and run until they form a stiff paste. Scrape down the sides and add in remaining ingredients. Run the food processor for 5 minutes until the hummus is very smooth. This may seem excessive, but it's worth it. Refrigerate hummus 30 minutes before serving.
Swoosh your hummus onto a platter and drizzle with a little olive oil. Garnish with blue cheese and chives, if using. Arrange some veggies around your badass swoosh and go crush your party.
