Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus -- a quest for the "perfect" hummus

We are definitely hummus fans. However, we find that a lot of recipes call for way too much lemon juice and that the garlic is sometimes overpowering! So, I've been experimenting with the basic ingredients . . . my quest for the "perfect" hummus. Here's what I've come up with so far.

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 to 3  large cloves of roasted garlic* (roasting adds a touch of sweetness)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4  teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika + extra for topping
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 to 1 cup roasted red pepper, chopped (reserve some for topping / I just used jarred peppers)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for serving (use the "good" stuff for added flavor, such as The Tasteful Olive's EVOO)
Chopped parsley for topping (I used the flat leaf variety)

1. Add half the garbanzo beans to the food processor; process about 1 minute.
2. Scrape sides of work bowl; add remaining garbanzo beans and process another 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.
   
3. Add remaining ingredients, except for the parsley) and process until smooth. 
   
   
   
   
4. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed. Add additional tahini and/or olive oil if needed for both flavor and to achieve a creamy consistency. At this point, the hummus was still a little to textural for my taste, so I experimented by adding the mixture to our NutriBullet and I thought this helped create a slightly creamier mixture.
5. Pour mixture into a serving bowl. Drizzle with additional EVOO, chopped roasted red pepper, chopped parsley + lightly sprinkle with paprika.

   

   We served the hummus with pita chips and black bean chips.

To ROAST GARLIC:
Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off the very top of garlic head. Place in a square of  foil and drizzle lightly with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Seal foil, creating a packet; place packet on a baking pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until garlic is tender and fragrant. Once cool, simply squeeze the head of garlic and the cloves will pop out.

Recipes without photos . . .
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained & rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 to 3  large cloves of roasted garlic* (roasting adds a touch of sweetness)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4  teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika + extra for topping
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
 3/4 to 1 cup roasted red pepper, chopped (reserve some for topping / I just used jarred peppers)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for serving (use the "good" stuff for added flavor, such as The Tasteful Olive's EVOO)
Chopped parsley for topping (I used the flat leaf variety)

1. Add half the garbanzo beans to the food processor; process about 1 minute.
2. Scrape sides of work bowl; add remaining garbanzo beans and process another 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is smooth.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except for the parsley) and process until smooth. 
4. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed. Add additional tahini and/or olive oil if needed for both flavor and to achieve a creamy consistency. At this point, the hummus was still a little to textural for my taste, so I experimented by adding the mixture to our NutriBullet and I thought this helped create a slightly creamier mixture.
5. Pour mixture into a serving bowl. Drizzle with additional EVOO, chopped roasted red pepper, chopped parsley + lightly sprinkle with paprika.

To ROAST GARLIC:
Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off the very top of garlic head. Place in a square of  foil and drizzle lightly with 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Seal foil, creating a packet; place packet on a baking pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until garlic is tender and fragrant. Once cool, simply squeeze the head of garlic and the cloves will pop out.