I have been spending a lot of time at the beach here in Southern california, after work, on weekends, watching the sunset, walking on the beach, swimming (the water is so warm this year, you can easily chill in it which is very unusual), getting seaweed everywhere, watching kids build sand castles, elder couples walking hand in hand, ripped bodies of surfers and runners exercising. It is definitely a happy place.

This weekend, two friends from LA rented a condo overlooking the sea at the same beach town where I’ve been going, by coincidence, what a wonderful surprise. Went to see them last night, had a couple of drinks, saw the sunset and then took a walk on the beach…best time of the day.
While having drinks we were munching on humus and crackers, started thinking of all the different hummuses, or better, all the different dips you can make with tahini. Thought about making babaganoush again, but then why not make red lentil hummus. I had all the ingredients at home and had eaten it before and remembered how good it is.

I made some today and brought some over to them when we met at the beach.

It’s super easy to make and very versatile, you can use as a dip with chips or crackers, spread on toast, dress a salad or use as a sauce. Very Versatile.

•INGREDIENTS•
→1 cup red lentils & 2 1/2 cups water
→4/5 bay leaves
→2 tbls tahini
→3 tbls lemon juice
→1 garlic clove
→1/4 tsp each ground cumin, ground coriander, sea salt
→pinch of turmeric and black pepper
→2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
→2-3 tbls water

Rinse the lentils very well under cold water (red lentils tend to be very dirty), until the water is clear. Combine the rinsed lentils with the water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer and cover. Mix often to make sure the lentils don’t stick. It will take about 15-20 minutes until they are done and the water should be gone. If they are mushy that is fine.
Discard the bay leaves, then combine all the remaining ingredients, except olive oil and water, with the lentils in a food processor (or use a blender or an immersion blender). Once everything is mixed add olive oil at last and add a couple spoons of water according to the consistency. You are looking to achieve a dip/sauce so envision that.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika, red pepper or cumin.
Hummuses are always better after they are kept refrigerated for at least a couple hours or overnight (in my opinion).