Bringing the heat with harissa

[highlight]A healthy and simple hummus recipe featuring green harissa for added flavor and heat.[/highlight]

My husband (Dan) is the king of spicy foods….you can’t really make a food hot enough for him. He orders Thai food that is so spicy the smell alone brings tears to my eyes and he doesn’t think it’s spicy at all. I, on the other hand, am a total weenie when it comes to spice.

I stumbled across this recipe for Green Harissa Avocado Hummus  and have become hooked! If you aren’t familiar with harissa, it’s a sauce that is usually red in color (there are many variations though) and typically made with chili peppers, herbs, and lemon/lime juice. It can be added to many dishes and sauces to create a distinct and great tasting flavor with anywhere from a little to a lot of heat.

Back to the recipe…the Avocado Hummus is so creamy and simple to make and the Green Harissa is so spicy that you only have to add a little bit to get a nice little kick of spice with each bite. I used about 1 tablespoon in a whole serving a hummus and thought it was spicy but not overpowering. Dan added 3 tablespoons to his serving of hummus and finally found something he deemed “spicy enough” for his tastebuds of steel.

I had leftover harissa after making the hummus and have since added it to soup, salad dressings, steamed lentils, and even used as a sauce on top of grilled chicken. It’s just so good on so many different dishes! I used it in my Mediterranean Inspired Lunch and haven’t stopped making it since.

Green Harissa Avocado Hummus seen here in this Mediterranean-inspired lunch