My favorite place for smoothies and juices is hands down, the GEM, in Dallas. They also have an incredible jalapeno pesto hummus that lasts about 1 day in my house when I bring it home, which inspired me to give it a try with my own spin! Creamy hummus with herby, spiced pesto makes for the perfect refreshing snack. And if you like things on the milder side of the spice scale, don't be afraid to try this one! It is super mild sans seeds!
For the pesto:
3 green onion, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, deseeded and small diced (no seeds for mild or add some seeds for a kick!)
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the hummus:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoons salt
2-3 tablespoons water
Directions:
In a blender, combine all the hummus ingredients and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides once or twice as you go to make sure it’s fully blended. Season to taste. Spread the hummus onto a platter or bowl and set aside. Rinse and wipe your blender clean. You’ll use it again to make the pesto.
Toast the pine nuts on medium heat in a small sauté pan for just a few minutes until golden and fragrant. Keep an eye on them as they can burn fast! Once finished, add them directly to the blender.
Add all remaining pesto ingredients to the blender and pulse until well combined. With a small spatula or spoon, add a few tablespoons of the pesto to the center of your hummus and carefully spread the pesto around the center. You can also get a little jazzy here and make some swirl patterns with your spoon if you’re feeling it. Finish the hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top. Cut up some veggies and pita and you’re ready to go!
*Note: the pesto makes more than necessary, so make sure to freeze what you don’t use for next time or add it to pasta or in addition to your next charcuterie board!