Hummus with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives

A perfect appetizer that almost everyone loves. This creamy and flavourful dip is a perfect way to stimulate the appetites of your dinner guests. Just make sure you don't offer up too much before the main entree, as this hummus is most addictive and filling. Serve with fresh chopped vegetables, such as delightful Ontario carrots, and some baked pita breads and / or lavash bread.

This is my contribution to this month's My Legume Love Affair, a popular event started by lovely Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Jaya of Desi Soccer Mom.

Hummus with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives

1 cup of dried chickpeas
5 - 6 sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup of pitted black olives, chopped
a few generous scoops of goat cheese
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
juice from 2 fresh limes
2 - 3 tablespoons of tahini
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnishing

Soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover. Drain, transfer to a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover and cook until the beans are soft - roughly 1 hour. Drain and set aside.

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.

In a food processor, combine the cooked chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, salt, lime juice, tahini, goat cheese, cumin, cayenne, sugar, olive oil, 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid from the sun-dried tomatoes and a bit of parsley or cilantro. Puree until you have a thick paste.

Garnish with the remaining parsley or cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

More hummus recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Marinated Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus with Olives
Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Turkish Yogurt Hummus
Olive Hummus

On the top of the reading stack: Mysore Style Cooking by V. Sandhya

Audio Accompaniment: FLOAT AWAY - Robbie Rivera