Green pea hummus

As a university student, one of the greatest things to happen while living away from home is when parents come to visit. Parents, once undervalued in the days of high school are now given a newfound appreciation. Who but parents will offer the vehicle and the Costco card necessary to stock our apartments with a pack of 72-rolls of toilet paper. Only parents will take one look at our apartment and with a tone of disgust, offer to help clean it. And parents, convinced that all students are undernourished, will work an obligatory eating portion into their visit.

In short, parents are great.

So this past weekend, my good friend Chloe’s parents came to visit. Lucky for me, Chloe invited me to the classy French restaurant they were going for dinner. Walking in, not a single pair of McGill sweatpants could be spotted. Instead there were candles, nice tablecloths, good wine and a breadbasket. I had the butternut soup to start, followed by sea bass with a passion fruit caramel sauce and sweet potato mousse. Slightly more gourmet than my usual go to: pizza served on a paper plate by a large, handlebar moustached man. Dollar beer to start.

So while we’re waiting for those parents to make it down for another visit, why not make this dip. It’s not quite as fancy as whipped rabbit pate (which we found out was what was placed next to our bread basket,) but it’s great on bread and a good source of vitamin A and K. Plus if you are like me, it's a great way to use up that huge bag of frozen peas sitting in the freezer.

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon tahini paste

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt to taste 

1 tablespoon olive oil to sprinkle on hummus (optional)

Put garlic cloves in food processor and pulse. Add rest of the ingredients and pulse until almost smooth. Remove and top hummus with a tablespoon of olive oil if desired. To serve I toasted some bread, melted some cheese on top and then topped it with the green pea hummus. You could also have it on a salad, as a sandwich spread or even mixed into a pasta salad.