The Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Challenge comes to a close this Monday evening which gives me just enough time to enter 4 recipes. (Yes, you can expect yet another lentil recipe coming up tomorrow.) I'm the Queen of Procrastination, didn't you know?
So yeah, if you haven’t caught on, February 2015 is LENTIL MONTH here on I Love Vegan.
This challenge has been an opportunity for me to finally get around to posting some of my favourite recipes from the last few months. November and December are so full of holiday themed recipes there's just no time for posting anything else! Thanks to Canadian Lentils, this month I've finally shared my vegan 'egg' salad sandwich recipe, my homemade granola, and today I'm sharing my absolute favourite roasted garlic hummus - now with the goodness of lentils!
Which brings me to a little secret I've been needing to get off my chest…
I do not make my own hummus... (I know! What kind of food blogger am I?)
My favourite hummus is Fontaine Santé’s Roasted Garlic Hummus. Ughh, it’s so creamy, so smooth, so perfectly salty and garlicky… Even better? They sell 2-packs of EXTRA LARGE containers at Costco for $6!!
Trust me, it's not like I haven't tried to make hummus in the past, I HAVE, but it's just never been the same. My homemade hummus is usually way too thick, not at all creamy, and never deliciously addictive like Fontaine Santé's is.
Eventually, Dana, from Minimalist Baker posted this Best Ever 5 Minute Microwave Hummus and I knew that this was the recipe that would help me recreate my very favourite hummus EVER.
The secret to Dana’s recipe? Microwaving a can of chickpeas (undrained!) with garlic for 5 minutes before blending the mixture together with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Using the chickpea juice IN the hummus? GENIUS. I knew this technique would be the secret to my new ultra creamy homemade Fontaine Santé copycat hummus.
And I was SO right! Good god, THIS HUMMUS!!!!!!
The texture is soft, light, and luxuriously creamy. It's intensely garlick-y and just zippin' with a hefty dose of lemon juice. And while not inspired by Fontaine Santé, I decided to toss in some nutritional yeast too. I mean, why not? It's delicious, provides an extra kick of protein and B vitamins, and nooch goes well with most savoury things anyway!
Of course, the BIGGEST difference between this hummus and Fontaine Santé's is this one is made with both chickpeas AND lentils! Yep, I substituted half of the chickpeas with cooked lentils making this hummus higher in protein and fibre but lower in fat than your typical chickpea hummus.
This hummus is perfect for dipping crackers, chips, pretzels, or fresh chopped veggies. Spread it on sandwiches and wraps. Or thin it with a touch of water or vegetable broth and use it as a delicious, creamy salad dressing!
We’re entering this recipe into Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Challenge. Each recipe is judged based on taste, appeal, use of lentils, simplicity, and social media popularity. We’d be so grateful if you could help us out by ‘pinning’ this recipe from the Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Challenge Pinterest board.
Update: Thank you for supporting us! Our Mashed Lentil + Chickpea Salad won the grand prize! The Big Southwest Lentil Salad Bowl was a finalist, and our Sweet Pumpkin Seed Protein Granola won for best photography. Thank you so so much!
Roasted Garlic Red Lentil Hummus
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Dips, Dressings
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
The softest, lightest, creamiest hummus ever! It's intensely garlick-y and zippin' with a hefty dose of lemon juice. Serve with fresh veggies, crackers, chips, sandwiches, wraps and more!
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned chickpeas + all of the juice from can
- 1 cup cooked split red lentils (boiled) (or ½ cup dry - refer to cooking instructions)
- 1 head roasted garlic (head of garlic + a drizzle olive oil - refer to cooking instructions)
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional - will thicken the hummus a lot)
Instructions
Roasting Garlic
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Peel most of the paper from a head of garlic. Slice top of the head off so that each clove is exposed.
- Drizzle the exposed garlic cloves with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the cloves are completely tender.
- Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze the root to push the roasted garlic out of the cloves.
Cooking Lentils
- Approx. ½ cup dry red lentils (split) = 1 cup cooked. Rinse ½ cup dry red lentils (split). Add the lentils and 1 cup of unsalted water to a small-medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 minutes (until lentils are just tender.)
Making Hummus
- Combine canned chickpeas + juice, cooked red lentils, roasted garlic, and salt in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes.
- Add microwaved chickpeas and lentils to your food processor along with the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and nutritional yeast (if using.) Process on high until nice and creamy.
- Optional: For a super velvety texture, transfer hummus to your Vitamix, Blend-Tec or other high speed blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes.
- Chill before serving. Optional: Garnish with sesame oil, chili powder or paprika, and chili flakes.
Notes
lauren shorts
Hi, this looks delicious? Instead of using red lentils, could I substitute for more garbanzo beans? Thank you
Jackie
I need to omit the garbanzos. Any substitution suggestions? I would assume I would need a bit of texture. Maybe ground up cooked quinoa and more red lentils? I will try something and let you know. I may go with the easiest option first.
Brittany
I'd substitute with something like white kidney beans or more red lentils!
suzi
perfect recipe you have here, my friend!! just whipped it up and added a nice bit of cumin and a sprinkle of cayenne for a more complex flavor profile. in other words, I like a kick 🙂 I think yours is my new fave!!! ps I tried to rate your recipe with five stars but it will only let me mark four. definitely deserves 5!
★★★★
Pongodhall
I can't help myself!
My favourite sandwich spread, or burger bun spread, or dip, just lovely
Brittany
Thanks so much! It's one of my favourites too! 🙂
Neyon
Have grown up with red lentil soup (dahl) and really excited to try out this amazing looking lentil recipe!
Brittany
Oh good! I hope you enjoy it 😀
Lisa
I found your site looking up hummus recipes. This recipe is absolutely wonderful. It is easily the best one I have tried. it is smooth and rich in flavor. This is a keeper for certain. Thank you so much for posting!
Brittany
That's so fantastic to hear! Thanks Lisa! 😀
julie
red lentils? are these the same as red kidney beans?
Brittany
Nope! They're very different from red kidney beans, but you should be able to find them in the same area of your grocery store!
Evi @ greenevi
Red lentil and roasted garlic, such a genius idea! This sounds like my next favourite hummus recipe 😉
Brittany
Thanks Evi! I think you'll love it!
cheryl
Those wooden measuring spoons are adorable.
Brittany
We really like them! We sanded the finish off and they look even better than before.
Fraida
This sounds really good, but what if I don't have a microwave?
Brittany
Ah! Great question. I would put all of the microwave ingredients into a heavy oven safe dish (like a small casserole dish or something) cover it tightly and bake at 350F for 15-25 minutes. You MIGHT need to add some extra liquid.