Last Minute Jouster

Because I have been super busy with a new job and, at the moment, with a trip to my home state of New Jersey, my July entry post for the Leftover Queen's Royal Foodie Joust is somewhat delayed. Talk about last minute, posting on the final day of the month! The ingredients for this month's go-round are ginger, apricots, and butter. I do love the first two ingredients but tend not to use butter so much, so this was a little bit of a challenge for me. However, I did come up with a delicious dish. Behold the result: apricot hummus pockets!

Apricot Hummus Pockets

1 15 oz. can garbonzo beans
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
2 fresh apricots, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey

1 whole wheat pita, halved
3 T apricot preserves
butter (I used Smart Balance)

Combine the garbonzo beans (including half of the liquid or adding 1/4 cup water), garlic, cumin, ginger, chopped apricots, lemon juice, and honey in a blender or food processor. Blend until the desired texture is achieved. Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the tastes to meld.

Warm a skillet to medium heat, melting butter across the surface, using as much as needed. In a separate bowl, combine the apricot preserves and a pat of butter. Heat the bowl in the microwave or in a saucepan until the butter is mostly melted and the contents easily stir-able. Brush the mixture over each side of the pita halves, then crisp the pitas on the skillet. When the pitas are just beginning to brown, remove them and fill with the apricot hummus. Serve as is for a cooler meal, or return to the skillet and continue to warm the pitas for another 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

This makes two pitas, with enough hummus to include in a couple of days' lunches with crackers and some carrots. This amount of hummus would probably fill 6 to 8 pita halves for those cooking for a larger crowd.