
I ended up with a large amount of arugula after I bought a big batch for a recipe I made recently. Well, I’m not one to let perfectly good greens go to waste, so I decided to put my leftover arugula to good use. I have seen so many different green used in various forms of pesto, that I decided to try substituting arugula in my regular basil pesto recipe. It turned out to be delicious! I tossed it with pasta and parmesan cheese – such a zesty and brightly flavored dish! Arugula has a bit of bite to it, so it really shined in this pesto.
Arugula Pesto
3 teaspoons salt
3.5 ounces arugula leaves, stems removed
3 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
First, fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
Next, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the arugula, stirring to submerge. As soon as the water returns to a boil, remove the pot from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the arugula to the ice bath so that the cooking process stops. Once it has cooled, remove the arugula to paper towels to dry. Squeeze any excess water from the leaves.
Add the arugula and the garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process until the texture is fine. Then gradually stream in the olive oil and process until the mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield about 1/2 cup.
Toss with pasta or drizzle over boiled potatoes, just like basil pesto!

Then, I decided to use some of my leftover arugula pesto to make a beautiful green appetizer. I had read online that some arugula pesto recipes use chick peas to make the pesto thick, and a bit less pungent. Well, instead of using the chick peas in my pesto, I decided to turn my pesto into a beautifully green and vibrantly spicy hummus! This is a perfect appetizer for Halloween – glorious green goop!

Arugula Hummus
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (aka chick peas)
1/2 cup arugula pesto
1 tablespoon tahini
Salt and pepper to taste
First, drain the garbanzo beans, reserving the liquid in a bowl.
In the bowl of the food processor, measure the arugula pesto, the tahini, and the chick peas. Process until smooth. Adjust the thickness/thinnest of the texture to your liking using the reserved bean liquid. Blend to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving, so that the flavors can meld. Serve with pita or chips.

I find that the pita chips that you can buy at the grocery store tend to be wayyyyyyyy to salty. I much prefer to make my own pita toasties to serve with hummus and other dips. Here is my favorite way to make them!!
Pita Toasties
4-6 pitas
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cut each pita into 6 wedges. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Brush or spray the pita wedges with the olive oil. Then sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until toasty and lightly golden brown. Serve with hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, or arugula hummus. Enjoy!