Sometimes the simplest combinations are the most delicious! Trying to use up our "pandemic canned goods", my husband and I decided to try our hand at hummus. How hard could it be?

Hummus is a traditional Mediterranean spread made with chick peas that's often used as a dip with vegetables, but we've used it before as a spread in place of mayonnaise or mustard. You can change the flavor quite a bit by adding roasted red peppers, olives or cayenne pepper. We decided to use it in place of meat for a wrap.

We used whole wheat tortillas, 2 Tbsp. hummus, red pepper strips, 1 tsp. feta cheese, 4-5 grape tomatoes cut in half and a handful of chopped olives in our wraps. Whole wheat or regular pita bread would work as well. Keep in mind I am a food neRD. Store bought hummus would be just as tasty in this wrap.

Hummus uses tahini (sesame paste), which may or may not be in your pantry. Never fear! Peanut butter makes a great substitute. You will need a food processor or high powered blender to get the hummus nice and smooth.

We used bottled lemon juice in place of fresh lemons. If you're out of garlic, use 1/2 tsp. garlic powder instead. We added extra cumin and a dash of cayenne pepper to give the hummus a little extra kick.Recipe credit to http://cookieandkate.com

Ingredients

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

½ teaspoon baking soda (if you’re using canned chickpeas)

¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons), more to taste

1 medium-to-large clove garlic, roughly chopped

½-1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste

½ cup tahini

2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, more as needed

½-1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add the baking soda. Cover the chickpeas by several inches of water, then bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling, reducing heat if necessary to prevent overflow, for about 20 minutes, or until the chickpeas look bloated, their skins are falling off, and they’re quite soft.

In a fine-mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them for about 30 seconds. Set aside (no need to peel the chickpeas for this recipe!).

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process until the garlic is very finely chopped, then let the mixture rest so the garlic flavor can mellow, ideally 10 minutes or longer.

3. Add the tahini to the food processor and blend until the mixture is thick and creamy, stopping to scrape down any tahini stuck to the sides and bottom of the processor as necessary.

4. While running the food processor, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water. Scrape down the food processor, and blend until the mixture is ultra smooth, pale and creamy. (If your tahini was extra-thick to begin with, you might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.)

5. Add the cumin and the drained, over-cooked chickpeas to the food processor. While blending, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is super smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as necessary, about 2 minutes. Add more ice water by the tablespoon if necessary to achieve a super creamy texture.

6. Taste, and adjust as necessary—I almost always add another ¼ teaspoon salt for more overall flavor and another tablespoon of lemon juice for extra zing

.7. Scrape the hummus into a serving bowl or platter, and use a spoon to create nice swooshes on top. Top with garnishes of your choice, and serve. Leftover hummus keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. And that's a wrap!