How do you like to have your hummus? As a vegetable dip, a sauce for pasta, a spread on tortillas, or just enjoy it as it is? Hummus is such a great versatile dish that you can enjoy it in many ways. Because it contains protein, fiber, and carbohydrates all in one bowl, it definitely makes preparing a meal easier. Don’t you agree?
If you’ve been to my blog before, you might notice how much I love spicy food. I like to experiment with different peppers, from ones with a mild flavor to extremely spicy ones (I need to get a drink of water just thinking about it). During a recent, grocery shopping trip, these bright red little round cherry peppers caught my eye. I hadn’t tried them before and was curious to find out how spicy they were. I can tell you, “Yeah, they are very hot!”
To make this recipe, I cooked lentils and previously soaked chickpeas in a pot and then blended it with freshly roasted sesame seeds, cherry peppers, and garlic until smooth. I then added some lime zest and freshly squeezed lime juice and seasoned it with salt, freshly ground cumin powder, and olive oil. The dip is rich, spicy, and full of flavors. It tastes fantastic both warm and cold.
This recipe is easy, simple, and healthy. If you are looking for a protein rich vegan dip with low calories for your upcoming football tailgate parties, then you should definitely mark this one, especially if you appreciate spicy food like I do.

- ½ cup raw chickpeas yield approximately 1-1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup raw lentils yield approximately 2-1/2 cups cooked lentils
- 8 cups water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup roasted sesame seeds
- 1 cherry pepper seeded
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- Lime zest from 1 medium lemon
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika powder
- Soak chickpeas at least 6 hours before cooking. Boil and simmer the lentils and the soaked chickpeas in one pot. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the beans are easily pierced with a fork.
- While the beans are cooking, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Roast the sesame seeds until they are golden brown. Approximately 3 minutes. Set the roasted sesame seeds aside.
- Heat the sauté pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil until hot. Roast the chopped garlic and red cherry pepper until fragrant.
- Pour the cooked beans into a strainer. Rinse, drain, and then transfer them into a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients except paprika powder and blend until smooth. Garnish with paprika powder and serve warm or cold with vegetables or tortillas.

This sounds delicious, I think I need to make this hummus real soon!
Thanks, James. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂
This looks delicious. What lentils would you suggest for this recipe, eg green, red or Puy lentils? I couldn’t determine from the picture which lentils you had used
Thanks Sue! I used green lentils in this recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 🙂