One day we were staring at our pantry after a fun but tiresome trip. We did not have the energy to go grocery shopping, but we had to make something to feed ourselves! We had all the ingredients for a hummus dip, but Delphine’s suggestion about adding the black bean turned out to be an awesome decision. We used pepper paste to add a unique zing. A true Mediterranean-American fusion. Ladies and gentlemen… Meet Black Velvet Hummus:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drain half of the liquid (if you don’t want to consume the juice in the can, use water instead)
• 1 can black beans, washed and drained
• 5 black olives, pitted
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1.5 tablespoon garlic
• 1.5 tablespoon red pepper paste
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender. Run it for about 30 seconds until it turns in to, well, a dip. Make sure you  have enough corn chips or pita breads, or you will end up licking your fingers all day.

Toasted Amber Hummus Dip Variation:

Below is a lighter version of the above Black Velvet Hummus Dip, also a rich, delicious Mediterranean-American fusion.  Make the dip using the instructions above, except:

• Replace the can of black beans with a can of white beans.
• Replace the olives with 2 T of drained capers
• Add 1/2 T of tomato paste
• Omit the lemon juice