Cilantro Zucchini Hummus

I love to talk food. I will talk about it anytime with anyone. And it's usually a great inspiration for recipe creation. This recipe came from a conversation I had with Theresa, an old friend of mine yesterday afternoon. We were discussing the vegetarian, vegan, and raw diets. Both of us have a desire to try a raw diet so we were talking about ways to incorporate more raw food into our daily diets. We then started taking about some healthy treats to make and of course the conversation turned to hummus.

It was only natural that my mind immediately went to trying to make a raw hummus. I was on my way to the grocery store, mentally kicking around a few ideas. It wasn't until I passed a table on someone's driveway with a huge table of zucchini that said "Free - Please take it all!" that made me think of using this often over-abundant vegetable.

This recipe is fantastic. I absolutely love it. It's fresh-tasting and is simply fantastic. Serve with fresh vegetables or pita chips. You could also use it as a sauce or a dressing by decreasing the amount of zucchini to 4 cups, as shown here. Or add some fresh jalapeno for a nice little kick! And the best part is that it only takes a few moments to chop everything up and throw it in the blender or food processor. So go ahead - give it a try.



Cilantro Zucchini Hummus

6 cups zucchini, peeled and chopped
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1/4 c olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

Add all ingredients, except cilantro, into a blender or food processor. Process until creamy and smooth. Stir in cilantro. Serve and enjoy!