The other night I was thinking about what to make for dinner on my way home, when I passed by one of the ubiquitous Halal carts. I don’t know why, but whenever I pass a Halal food cart, I always take a big sniff…it just smells so good! It immediately made me think of Middle Eastern flavors with lots of spices, citrus, and conversation. That night I made chicken shawarma for dinner with fixings, and instead of using store-bought dips, I decided to make my own–and it was so easy! Rustic lemon hummus consists of a quick trip to the pantry for most of the ingredients, and roasted eggplant babaghanoush will make your fellow diners think you’re a spice savant! Try these Middle Eastern spreads at home and you’ll never feel the need to head to the grocery the next time you want to eat some hummus.

Rustic Lemon Hummus

• 1 can of chickpeas—canned chickpeas are super easy and always in my pantry, but dried chickpeas that you soak overnight are really the best for this recipe and will give you a cleaner flavor
• 3 tablespoons of tahini paste
• 2 lemons—juice of both, and the zest of one
• 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• Olive Oil

1. Rinse the chickpeas off under cold water until you get rid of all of the gunk from the can off of the chickpeas
2. In a food processor or blender–I only had my KitchenAid mixer available, so that’s what I used–add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper
3. Start to mix all of the ingredients on low to slowly break up the chickpeas until it becomes a thick paste
4. Add in the rest of the spices, and gradually add the oil as you increase the speed to medium
5. The hummus is done when it gets to your personal consistency preference—I like mine a bit chunky—great for pita chips!
6. Spoon out into a bowl and eat with chips, pita, or use it was a topping for your favorite falafel. Hummus is also delicious as a spread or used in place of mayonnaise or mustard on sandwiches

Roasted Eggplant Babaghanoush

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika—this goes well with the roasted and charred eggplant, but regular paprika works just as well
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of cumin—add the extra teaspoon if you don’t have smoked paprika. The cumin has a natural smokiness that can compensate
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fo fresh parsley, chopped
• Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons of tahini paste
• 1/4 of an onion, grated
• Hot sauce (to taste)—I like mine spicy, but this dip is delicious mild as well

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit
2. Cut your eggplant in half lengthwise—Resist the urge to peel it at this point! The peel will not only help keep moisture in the eggplant flesh, but also hold it together in the oven.
3. Use a fork or sharp paring knife to poke holes into the eggplant skin all over
4. Rub the flesh side with olive oil and season with 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of paprika and 1/2 tablespoon of cumin
5. Roast the eggplant for 20-25 minutes until the skin is charred and the flesh becomes slightly creamy and the outside if browned—you want the skin to get black
6. Once the eggplant has cooled a bit, but still hot, use a knife or fork to remove the charred skin—it should come off very easily
7. Discard the skin and spoon the flesh into the bowl of a mixer or food processor
8. Pulse together the eggplant with the remaining ingredients until it comes together in a thick dip—feel free to blend it as much as you’d like
9. Serve similarly to the hummus, and garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice and extra parsley, and enjoy—One of my favorite ways to consume the eggplant is to make sabich, an Iraqi sandwich that consists of hard boiled eggs and fried eggplant on fresh pita bread. Babaghanoush would be a wonderful substitute for the traditional fried eggplant, and maybe add some salty feta cheese to give the sandwich a rich umami flavor

All I know is that both of these spreads are absolutely delicious, and are perfect for any dinner party or even an afternoon snack. You can also feel free to customize your hummus and babaghanoush—substitute cilantro for the parsley for a more Mexican version, top your hummus with some mushrooms sautéed with zhatar spice, or make a festive zucchini version of babaghanoush and spread it on some thick toast and top with avocado. Yummy! I love to simply serve them with some homemade pita chips!