Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken

I am super excited to be a part of The Bitten Word's Cover-to-Cover Challenge and I was placed on Team Food and Wine.  My assigned recipe was the Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken.  I didn't know what piquillo peppers were but I was able to find a jar of roasted piquillo peppers in the international section of my local grocery store.  They are sweet red peppers originally from Spain.  According to the recipe, the total time to make the soup should be 7 minutes.   This is a simple recipe if you have all the ingredients already.  Of course I end up taking more time than that since I actually made my own hummus (click here for the recipe).  Also, it took me an extra 10 minutes to shred the rotisserie chicken.  I really enjoyed this soup, it is flavorful and delicious.  If you like roasted red pepper hummus, then you will like this soup.  This soup will pair nicely with a side salad if you want a light lunch or dinner.  Enjoy!

Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup drained piquillo peppers (reserve ¼ cup cut into thin strips)

¾ cup hummus

2 cups chicken stock (or beef stock)

½ cup cooked white rice

1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon parsley, dried (or 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leave parsley)

olive oil and hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a food processor, combine the whole piquillos, hummus, and stock.  Puree until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, add soup, rice, and chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring soup to a boil.  

Garnish soup with parsley, sliced piquillos, olive oil and hot sauce if desired.

Serves 4.

Roasted Vegetables Hummus Wraps

I made these roasted vegetables hummus wraps for a picnic with friends at the National Gallery of Art's Jazz in the Garden series on Fridays.  The weather was just perfect yesterday for Jazz in the Garden.  If you are in the DC area, you should try to go one Friday but try to get there by 5pm, because the places gets packed!  It is also a free event and fun to go with a group.  Be sure to bring a blanket or old sheet to stake out your spot early.  It is best to take the metro (Archives exit) and the sculpture garden is about a block or 2 away.  The roasted vegetables hummus wraps were a hit with my friends!  I already had roasted cauliflower and beets in the fridge so I only had to roast the broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash (which I got this week at the farmers market).  I also made my own hummus this week but you can also use store bought hummus if you are short on time.  These wraps are simple, healthy, and delicious - you can't go wrong with them.

Roasted Vegetables Hummus Wraps

Printable Recipe

 

Ingredients

hummus (homemade hummus recipe here)

tortillas, medium sized

roasted vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, and/or beets)

zest of 1 lemon (optional)

juice of ½ lemon (optional)

olive oil, extra virgin

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  

 

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

 

Add in lemon zest and lemon juice.  Toss to coat vegetable evenly.  (You can do this in a bowl or on the baking sheet.)

Roast vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes, and turn vegetables halfway though.

 

Let vegetables cool to room temperature.

Spread hummus on tortilla.   

Top with vegetables.  

Roll up and enjoy!

Homemade Hummus

Homemade is always better and I finally tried to make my own hummus.  Hummus is a middle eastern dip or spread that is often served with bread or vegetables.  I love hummus with pita bread or pita chips.  It is also great as a spread with a falafel sandwich.  My favorite vegetables to dip hummus with are sliced bell peppers and/or cucumbers.  I have been wanting to make hummus for so long that I bought tahini over a month ago just so I could make some.  It was a success!  What I love about this hummus recipe is that there is a nice light lemon and garlic flavor, feel free to add more or less to your taste.  You just throw all the ingredients in the food processor and its done in a minute or two.  I tried the hummus with Terra vegetable chips today and it was awesome.  If you haven't tried these vegetable chips, you should, they are surprisingly delicious.  I hope you try to make your own homemade hummus soon, its so easy and likely more healthy than store bought.  Enjoy!

Homemade Hummus

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)

2 garlic cloves

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Optional

paprika

olive oil

Directions

In a food processor, place beans and garlic and pulse until chopped.  Add in remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth.  Scrape down sides as needed.

 

If desired, drizzle additional olive oil over the hummus and sprinkle with paprika.

 

Serve chilled or at room temperature.  Store covered in refrigerator.