Spinach Artichoke Hummus

Up until about a year ago, I was convinced that I did not like hummus.
At all.
As in, "get that weirdly spiced baby food away from me."

Looking back on that version of me, I have to shake my head in shame.
What was I thinking??  Was some pickiness from my "ew, beans!" phase sticking around?

Thankfully, shortly before I started rehearsals for the ship, I discovered just how ridiculous I was being and fell head over heels in love with hummus. During rehearsals, fresh vegetables, pretzels and classic hummus-to-go packs were lunch most days.  Once aboard the vessel I called home for half a year, baby carrots, flatbread crisps and spinach artichoke hummus saved my patoot during our month of Condition Red (a story for another post that...isn't pureed).  And once I got home, I learned how ridiculously easy and cheap it was to make at home and did a happy dance.

This was Attempt Number One.
And holy yum, Batman.
This was a replication of - or dare I say, improvement upon - my favorite hummus-and-everything-else flavor to date: spinach and artichoke.  There's something about the freshness, mild fragrance, and gorgeous green color that just lights my candle!  Thanks to Ali, the genius behind Gimme Some Oven (yay blog puns!), I found the ultimate recipe.  The only change we made was to swap in lime juice for the lemon, since that's what we had on hand, and thankfully the bright lime was a great complement to all the other green stuff in there.

Jon and I have been devouring it nonstop since it came out of the food processor.
And the best part? It's only 60 calories per 2 tbsp serving!!
Translation: room for more dessert later!

...kidding.  Ish.

This recipe was definitely a big step in the clean eating direction for our little kitchen, and I couldn't have been more thrilled with the results!  Especially when paired with baked falafel...

If you're a hummus fan with a food processor, what are you waiting for??  Get hummus-ing!

Spinach Artichoke Hummus
Source: barely adapted at all from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, packing liquid reserved
4 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts
2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.  Using the steel blade, process until smooth.  Add a tablespoon at a time of the reserved chickpea liquid as needed until your desired consistency is reached.  Crack out the veggies and pita chips and enjoy!

To store, scoop into any air-tight container and refrigerate.  It'll last for a couple weeks easily.