Allow me to be honest with you. I may have lost my cooking mojo.
I haven’t really been too interested in cooking lately. My life has slowed down a lot (physically, mainly) and my heart no no longer sings in the kitchen. One must still eat, so I am still cooking… although finding it a challenge to continue to blog consistently.
And then I made this hummus. I knew I had to share it right away.
I am no stranger to strange hummus concoctions but this one was really good. Spiced with sriracha with a depthness from red peppers, I really liked it. It wasn’t too spicy (for me!) so feel free to add more sriracha for your palate. I found this had a taste reminiscent of cheese but without any nooch, I think it was from the red pepper paste. This was nice and silky straight from the food processor. Sadly, it stiffened slightly as leftovers so either eat it all at once or add some more liquid as needed.
I am sharing this with My Legume Love Affair hosted by Valli and Bookmarked Recipes.
Buffalo Hummus
Adapted from No Meat Athlete, as spotted on Oh She Glows
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or a 19 oz can)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp tahini
1.5-3 tsp sriracha, or to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp red pepper paste
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
1. In a food processor fitted with its S-blade, blend together all the ingredients except the olive oil. Once smooth, drizzle in the olive oil while the motor runs. Continue to blend until you reach your desired consistency.
2. Prior to serving, drizzle with additional sriracha if desired.
Makes ~2 cups.
the taste space 
Sorry to hear you’re not so into cooking lately. It happens to even the most enthusiastic of us cooks sometimes so don’t worry about it. Just go with what you’re feeling like right now and I’m sure the excitement will come back soon enough.
A spiced-up hummus sounds good to me. I always wonder about all the different kinds of hot sauces available and how interchangeable they are. “Hot sauce” here means Tabasco and I know that’s pretty different to Frank’s, etc. !
Thanks for posting this recipe, it sounds divine! I think so many of us have periods where we just can’t jive in the kitchen, so please know you’re not alone. Inspiration and motivation ebbs and flows. 🙂
Well, if nothing else, you put it into my mind that I can make hummus at home. I like it a lot but not so much the store bought stuff. I don’t have a food processor but found a website that lists various ways to get around that. I don’t like food processors but have learned you can use a blender, microwave the garbanzos then hand mash, rig up a morter and pestal, or probably anything. I wonder about putting the beans in a bag then getting my son to jump on them. So I will give it a shot. I like the idea of modifying it to fit your tastes.
That has happened to me a lot in the last year. Just go with what feels right and don’t push it!
I haven’t made or eaten hummus in ages, it’s always a phase for me. I think this hummus might be the start of another one!
I completely get that. I was suffering from the same thing… too much on my plate to worry with recipes (tee hee). I’m glad you were inspired to make this one – it looks awesome! I’m going to try it out!
Janet, I still think you are mega awesome even if you cook a lot or not or blog a lot or not 😀
I made the hummus tonight for use in sandwiches this week. I felt like trying something different. I sampled it and it tastes pretty good. I think that I may add more sriracha by the time I make the sandwiches. So the initial attempt will be this hummus, tomato, avocado and lettuce. It was pretty easy to make it. I used our submersion blender and it worked like a charm. The hummus is thicker than what I get at the restaurant. They may use or oil. I like the idea of experimenting with different flavors. Being a fan of hot food, I like the idea of making it that way. I am looking forward to this for lunch.
Hey Bill, I bet most restos use oil for their hummus. It definitely make it more silky. I like your idea of putting it in a salad stuffed with all sorts of veggies. 🙂
I’ve had this bookmarked and often feel on the verge of making it – glad it was inspiring for your cooking mojo – I have lost my hummus mojo because sylvia wont eat home made hummus but I guess it is a good reason to just make any flavours without worrying it is too spicy for her – just like this one
Oh there are times I just am not into cooking. It comes and goes, fortunately I normally feel like cooking.
This hummus sounds great – I really need to start making my own hummus =)
Janet, when you say “red pepper paste”, do you mean something like harissa? OR something sweeter, like a roasted red pepper spread? What were the ingredients in your spread? Maybe I can just mix something up to mimic what you used. . .
PS Just embrace the cooking (and blogging) slump and welcome having one (two?) less thing(s) to do. Your kitchen mojo will come back when both it and you are ready, and it will be glorious. 🙂 At least you know that it won’t make you any less awesome in Rob’s eyes. 🙂
Liz, you are too kind. I definitely feel like I have more time on my hands (or just more things to juggle in my life) and hopefully things will get better. In any case, definitely substitute real roasted peppers (?1/2 cup or so) instead of the red pepper paste. The red pepper paste I use is a sweet paste of Turkish origin. I just use it when I am too lazy to roast peppers. I wrote a bit more about it here: https://tastespace.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/foodie-gift-ideas-part-2-aka-my-favourite-ingredients-in-the-kitchen/
Oh, yes, things will definitely get better. It may take longer than expected or than you would like, but everything will balance itself out in the end. I don’t blog, but I cook A LOT and slumps are just part of the process. Just don’t feel badly or guilty about it, dwelling on it too much or try to FORCE it; both are counterproductive. Let that part of you rest and recoup and allow your cooking creativity to rebuild itself organically. I imagine, in the interim, you’ll come to appreciate the break and maybe even it find it somewhat liberating. 🙂
I understand that it may be a source of stress as far as the blogging end of it goes, but you should take comfort in knowing that everyone, I’m sure, will understand and still be here if a hiatus is needed. Also, on the plus side, while the majority of your posts are recipes, you’ve ofen posted other types of entries, and, personally, I’ve enjoyed reading those, as well. So, if you choose, you can smoothly and deftly expand on those aspects of the blog while your food acuity rehones itself. 🙂 Regardless, I do hope it all isn’t weighing too heavily on you, if at all.
PS Thanks for the link back to your old post. It was super helpful. And interesting. We have the SADDEST ethnic markets around which is beyond ironic considering the long standing melting pot of a community that exists here in my neck of the woods. Every time you post about a Middle Eastern or Asian product or store, I think, “I gotta get myself to Canada!” LOL