This looks fancier than it really is, but admittedly has a few components. They come together pretty sharpish when you need them to though. We made our own hummus here, but store bought is just fine. Home made just usually runs cheaper, and you end up with days and days worth out of two cans of chickpeas.
The pita chips we threw in the air fryer after seasoning with salt and olive oil, but they’d be more than fine just plain out of the back. The chickpeas are lightly fried for about 30-45 minutes in the pan and then seasoned with whatever floats your boat during the last five minutes. We like lots of garlic, smoked paprika and Aleppo pepper (fruity and spicy).
Lastly the side salad is a basic bag of romaine topped with whatever we have in the fridge. We like to mix together pickled items like roasted red bell peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, green olives etc then toast in a little olive oil and lemon juice. Basically raid the section of your grocery store with the Mezzetta range of pickled veggies – they keep forever and can be used when you need them quickly like here.
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!