Fiery Red Pepper Hummus

Right when I started working on this post last night, our entire neighborhood lost power. And we didn’t get it back for a few hours, right before I went to bed. And it sucked! When I lived in Florida, loosing power was a regular occurrence, nothing like being without AC in 100% humidity! But it rarely goes out here and I’ve become quite spoiled by always having computers and TV to entertain me. Hubby and I sat in the candlelit dark trying to figure out what to do, it was pathetic. I settled on a candlelit bubble bath with a glass of wine. While poor Leela was terrified since she hates flashlights.

Anyway, I’m thankful to have it back!

Pets can be inspiring, like Miko, who seemed to love all the excitement of not having power.

He is always happy, always thrilled when I get home from work, ecstatic about dinner time, super excited about treats, and runs happy circles when we mention the “W” word. He seems to genuinely content to spend time with us doing whatever we’re doing, like being crashed in my lap while I write this post. I love that he can be so happy all the time, I envy it. And I like to think I’m getting there as I find a better place in a diet and lifestyle that work better for me, even if the journey is still long.

But last night I decided to spice things up while we had power by creating a lighter, higher protein hummus with a fiery kick.

Because the hummus is veggie based, it’s a little more loose than traditional bean-based versions.

The flavor has a lot of kick which I like, but you can reduce the cayenne for less heat.

The hummus is lighter and not as heavy on the stomach which is a plus for me too, it made a fun and light finger food dinner.

And the leftovers made a great lunch today too, simple to pack with fresh chopped veggies, as a salad dressing, or in a wrap.