Spicy Roasted Pepper Hummus

I really wanted to try my hand at making some hummus, and since my Bountiful Basket came with a few of the ingredients I needed, I decided to give it a whirl.  I have now successfully made two batches, and I wanted to blog about it so I remember how I made it - it is yummy!  The first batch I made with roasted red peppers, and the second batch I used roasted orange and yellow peppers.  Both varieties were delicious.  Many recipes call for tahini - I had no clue what this was so I had to google it.  It is a sesame paste.  Some recipes used peanut butter instead, so that's what I used in mine because I always have it in stock at home.
 
We have been using the hummus as a dip for pretzels, and I also spread some on a tortilla and rolled it up for a snack.  Many people also use it as a veggie dip.  It is an incredibly nutritious dip to make, and it is a nice source of protein and fiber. 

Spicy Roasted Pepper Hummus

2 bell peppers, de-seeded and cut in strips
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling peppers
6 cloves of garlic
2 - 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, drained
1 lemon - juiced
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place strips of bell pepper on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes (will be brown around edges).  Remove and let cool.  In a blender or food processor, chop garlic cloves.  Add garbonzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, peanut butter, 1/4 cup of the water, crushed red pepper, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and parsley.  Blend until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of blender/food processor.  Add roasted pepper strips a few at a time, as well as the remaining water, until mixture is blended well.  Transfer mixture to a bowl or storage container.