When I saw Strawberry Hummus on Facebook I was instantly intrigued. I wasn’t sure if we were talking a sweet dip chock full of garbanzo bean goodness or strawberries used in a savory application. Yes, the latter is possible. I’ve used strawberries with pork, with shrimp, and on pizza before to great success.

I vowed that the strawberry hummus would be made as soon as we’d polished off the regular hummus already in the fridge. And I did just that!

I made some adjustments to the recipe. 1) I’d forgotten to pick up lemons, so I decided to use the Meyer lemon olive oil. 2) I, as typical with an infant in the house, I used agave in place of honey. And 3) I broke open the bottle of raspberry balsamic vinegar for some extra berry flavor!

Firecracker has had a roller coaster relationship with hummus in his extensive 1.5 year solid food eating life. Currently, he loves it. As berries are probably his number one snack of choice I had high hopes for this dip. Unfortunately, putting his two favorite foods together does not yield a perfect snack. In fact, when I pulled out the hummus the following day to give him another taste he declared, “I want the real hummus.” By which he means the store bought plain hummus. I’m afraid he’ll never trust a homemade hummus again! The strawberries helped me achieve the smoothest hummus I’ve made to date, too. Sigh…

Treat and I quite enjoyed the hummus though! This unique hummus had an earthy, yet slightly fruity, taste perfect for pita chips, pretzels, and even apple slices. I’m sure cucumber sticks would compliment the dip well, too.

Berry Yummy Hummus

Ingredients:

• 8 oz strawberries, hulled
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 1/2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp Meyer lemon olive oil
• 1 tsp agave
• 1 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving
• 1 tsp fresh basil

Steps:

1. Place the strawberries in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, agave, and balsamic in the food processor. Blend until smooth. Return the strawberries, reserving a couple of tablespoons for garnish, to the food processor along with the basil. Pulse until fully combined.
3. Serve hummus with a drizzle of extra balsamic vinegar and the remaining strawberries.

*This recipe is modified from Danielle at http://www.fancymadesimple.com/recipes/appetizers/strawberry-hummus/*