Chickpea Dip with Toasted Cumin and Pomegranate

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• cumin seeds
• garlic
• sea salt
• lemon
• canned chickpeas
• fruity extra virgin olive oil
• water
• pom seeds
• desired dippers

✏️ How to make Chickpea Dip with Toasted Cumin and Pomegranate:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. In a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the cumin seeds, shaking the pan often, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour onto a plate to cool.
2. In a mortar, combine garlic and a pinch of salt and crush to a paste with a pestle. Add the toasted cumin seeds and grind them together with the garlic.
3. Grate enough zest from 1 lemon to measure ½ teaspoon and then halve and juice both lemons.
4. In a food processor or blender, combine the chickpeas, garlic-cumin mixture, lemon zest, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup water. Process the mixture until very creamy, adding more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice..
5. Scrape the dip onto a large plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. 

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you’ll need to grind the toasted seeds in a spice grinder. If you don’t have either, improvise by using ground cumin and mix well in a small bowl with garlic and salt. (You’ll be losing out on the “toasted” flavor of the cumin since you won’t be toasting the cumin seeds in a skillet.)
• The more water you add in, the creamier this dip will become. Add a little at a time until you reach a nice dipping consistency.
• You can substitute chopped dried cranberries for the pom seeds, if you’d like.

✔️ What to serve with Chickpea Dip:

• carrot sticks, celery and cucumber slices
• crackers
• toasted baguette slices

Favorite Appetizer Dip Recipes:

• Warm Crab Dip
• Clam Dip
• Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
• Party Bean Dip
• Chili Cheese Dip