Zucchini hummus

The residents at work attended an event at the California State Capitol today. Since I didn't have to cook lunch, I used the rare opportunity to complete my end of the month paperwork and to visit a new food outlet in mid-town Sacramento.

I was restless toward early afternoon. Instead of setting one of my regular snacks out on the counter, I used the extra time to prepare a welcome-home snack. In addition to tortilla chips and fresh tomato salsa, I prepared a vegetable tray with a zucchini hummus dip.

I found the hummus recipe in the morning paper. I generally pick up The Sacramento Bee so that I can browse the food section each Wednesday. (Incidental, I learned about the new food outlet, the Grocery Outlet at Capitol Ave. and 17th St., in today's paper.)

The recipes comes from Relish, "America's first food magazine distributed in your local paper the first of every month." I first prepared a double portion of the recipe as printed in the magazine. To give the dip a heightened flavor punch, I added extra minced garlic and lemon juice.

The residents polished off the first bowl of hummus dip in 13 minutes! "Mr. Steve, we like that stuff," exclaimed one resident as she wiped the bowl with a piece of broccoli. I quickly figured it was pointless to explain the ingredients in the dip. They liked it and weren't concerned about its makeup.

ZUCCHINI HUMMUS

1 (28-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 kosher teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Makes about 1 quart.