Quick Fix: Edamame Hummus

I'm always looking for interesting ways to take run of the mill recipes to the next level. Sometimes it's the littlest changes that take the ordinary dish to extraordinary. Today we'll take a Middle Eastern dish on a little trip to Japan.

Hummus is an ancient Middle Eastern dish served anytime of day usually as a mezze course. Traditionally hummus (hummous, humos, hommus, depending on where you live) is made with mashed chickpeas that grow locally throughout the Middle East. In this dish we take Hummus a bit further East and swap the chickpeas for Japanese Edamame. The result is a delicious and unique dish for your next party.

1 12oz bag frozen shelled edamame
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbs tahini
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 large red bell peppers, cored seeded and cut into thin strips
3 whole wheat pita chips

In a small saucepan boil 2 cups of water, a liberal amount of sea salt and edamame for about 10 minutes. Remove and place into a food processor. Add lemon, salt, cumin, black pepper, garlic and tahini and puree until thin. Serve with sliced bell peppers or crunchy pita chips.

Crunchy Pita Chips
3 whole wheat pita chips, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 salt&pepper, 1 pinch of cayenne pepper. Cut pita into 1/8ths drizzle with olive oil and dress with spices. Place into a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy Ya'll!