The kitchen. It’s where I do a majority of my… standing.
Standing and staring.
Standing and staring and spreading cream cheese onto Wheat Thins.
Standing and staring and eating cream cheese and Wheat Thins until I come up with a recipe and post idea.
If you were a fly on my kitchen wall… well, I wouldn’t like that very much… but you would probably think that a) I have very few brain cells firing with all of the standing and staring I do and b) I have an unhealthy relationship with cream cheese.
You might be right about the brain cells… I won’t argue that the standing and staring is a strange process. But the cream cheese? Yea… I’ll admit I have a bit of a problem with cream cheese and crackers. I’m trying to break the habit with chick peas and olive oil and mint and parsley. I think it’s working. I really think it’s working.
Delicious. Delicious. Crazy delicious. This spread is hummus meets pesto meets lemon meets delicious.
Ooh… and it’s totally healthy too. Dang!
This spread is creamy without the cream, a little tart, a little herby and all sorts of satisfying. On warm spelt tortillas… it’s my new favorite thing. For serious.
Chickpea, Mint, and Parsley Spread
Martha Stewart Living, May 2007
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
fresh ground black pepper
warm pitas, bread or crackers
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
Put the chopped mint and parsley into the bowl of a food processor. Add salt, pepper and lemon. Add the chickpea mixture. I have a smaller food processor and did this in two batches, dividing all of the ingredients in half and blending it twice.
With the machine running, blend all of the ingredients and add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a slow and steady steam, allowing it to emulsify. Spread can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or transferred to a serving dish, drizzled with olive oil and served with warm pita or warm spelt tortillas (pictured).
Kathleen
Oh. My. Giddy. Aunt. This is incredible. Hummus meets pesto. I may or may not have died and gone to heaven. :)
M
I’ve been eating right out of the tapper ware the past 2 days but just now I spread a thick coat of it on a slice of toasted sourdough and had scrambled egg on top. Hearty and delicious. Eating breakfast twice in one morning? Not a problem.
amish baby crib
Wow! Delicious looking spread this is! Breakfast will really be nice with these!
Lorraine
Joy the Baker, you have just brought joy to my life by sharing this lovely recipe. I love it!!
Annalea
had this for lunch today with artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes and fresh spinach. yum!
Ngoc
This spread saved dinner the other night. When the entree disappointed, we put some of this on toasted naan. It was a little open-faced sandwich from the heavens.
Kristen
I made this today and it’s great! It reminds me of a healthier spinach and artichoke dip. I’m now thinking of ways I could make spinach and artichoke dip using chickpeas instead of cheese..hmmm!
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll definitely make it again!
Shaina @ FoodforMyFamily
You spread cream cheese on Wheat Thins? I’ve been spreading it on Triscuits since I could chew. My mom passed it down. I’m working a box of rye ones at the moment. Fantastic with cream cheese. (Just fueling the fire.)
On the spread, if this really tastes like hummus and pesto, send help. I’ll need someone to pull my out at the ankles because I’m diving in head first.
Katherine
I’m a newcomer to your site and I had to try this spread. It’s really good and goes well with naan bread. Thank you for the recipe!