Did you play Powerball? I thought the excitement around a billion dollars was pretty fun. When I went into the gas station near my house, there was a line out the door. You could feel the excitement and hope in the air and I was really into it.

I actually had never played Powerball so the scantron form I had to fill out felt a bit like taking the SATs, which was a terrible memory. Haha. Unfortunately all the numbers I felt like “were coming to me” didn’t pan out—sad face! Fortunately, earlier in the day I had made this lentil hummus and it was a perfect snack to ease my I’m-not-gonna-be-a-billionaire-feeling.

Hummus is always a staple in my refrigerator. It’s such an easy thing to have in a tupperware container whenever the urge to snack is in full force. This hummus, made with lentils instead of chickpeas, is silky smooth, way smoother than the chickpea variety. I also loved the flavor of chickpeas. Hopefully you like it too!

Red Lentil Hummus

Substitute lentils for chickpeas for a smoother version of this dip. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried red lentils
• Water
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• Peel from 1/2 lemon & zest from 1/2 lemon, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini paste
• Juice from 1 1/4 lemon
• Salt
• 2 pinches of sumac
• Carrots, celery, Persian cucumbers, for serving

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, combine the lentils, water, garlic cloves and peel from 1/2 lemon. Bring to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the lentils are thoroughly cook. (If a very small amount of residual water is in the lentils, that’s ok!) Remove the lemon peel and discard.
2. To a blender or food processor, add the olive oil, lentils and softened garlic cloves, tahini paste, juice from 1 lemon and a few pinches of salt. Pulse until very smooth. Give it a taste and adjust the salt according to taste (I added a few more pinches).
3. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and top with a few pinches of sumac. Serve with crudite and crackers/pita.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.