Curry-Spiced Red Lentil Hummus

I’m going to go ahead and put this out there: my husband does not approve of or even like this recipe. Really. Because every single ingredient in it is something that he doesn’t like, with maybe the exception of salt and the cumin in some limited circumstances.

It’s true. Nate doesn’t always love every recipe that I make for you guys, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try it because let’s face it – those of us with more, ahem, refined palates will probably enjoy something like red lentil hummus. Besides, who’s to say I’d share this goodness anyway? 🙂

Honestly this recipe sprung from the bag of red lentils that had been screaming at me from the depths of my pantry for about 3 months or so. I remember buying them with grand hopes of creating a delicious edible bed for some roasted salmon, but life probably happened and I forgot about them, only to run across the bag every time I cleared out the pantry shelves.

Finally, one day, I threw them into the middle of the counter where I couldn’t miss them. If you walk into my house on pretty much any given day you’ll likely find that the entire place is turned upside down, blocks and puzzle pieces and dog fur littering just about every surface. There will be clothes just about everywhere, and who can really tell if they’re clean or not? (actually, I can tell. but humor me) Papers and calendars and random toy parts in one corner, a pile of stuff to give away in the next.

But you guys? My kitchen counter? Trust me, you don’t want to mess with my kitchen counter. I’m such a stickler about keeping that space clean and organized, and will move something just about anywhere else in the house just to make space on that kitchen counter. The way I see it is that if the kitchen counter is clean and organized, then so is the rest of the house.

So when I say I put the lentil bag in the MIDDLE of the kitchen counter, well, I meant business. Within a few minutes the lentils were simmering away to al dente glory in a pot of vegetable stock, and I was just dreaming of the spoonfuls of flavorful goodness to come. I saved about half of the batch, and used the rest in this hummus. And my kitchen counter was in order once more.

The great thing about this hummus is how dadgum creamy it is – not over-processed creamy, but the lentils make for a super smooth dip. I sprinkled mine with a touch of paprika for color and a drizzle of olive oil because I felt fancy like that. My favorite dipper of choice is always carrot sticks, then pita chips, then dehydrated veggies that I pick up from time to time at Fresh Market, but use what you like.

And also maybe don’t offer any to Nate. He won’t want it anyway 🙂