Salsa Hummus Dip & Picante Falafel Bites Snack Platter
Mediterranean cuisine and Spanish Cuisine fuse together in this Salsa Hummus Dip & these Picante Falafel Bites on this Game time snack Platter that is sure to keep vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, smiling between mouthfuls.
Sometimes I mean well. When a friend told me she was moving, I decided to drop off a shepherds pie she could heat up in her new oven – only to find that the gas to her new gas oven wouldn’t be turned on till the following week. 😯
When my mom mentioned she liked Brazil nuts and couldn’t find them in packages by themselves, I remembered I had seen them in the produce section at the store. So, when I was there this weekend stocking up on a few items, I decided to grab her a package. Only, somehow on the drive home I forgot they were for her and tore into them. Guess I need to work on my short-term memory huh?
When a friend asked me to cover the vegetarian eats at a homegating party at her house this past weekend, I figured I would whip up some falafel and hummus. Only, I decided to add a kick (and a fusion twist) to the falafel and hummus by adding some Pace® Picante Sauce (hot) and Pace® Chunky Salsa (medium) to them. Well, taste testing went so well at my home that what was left wasn’t enough to feed a dozen others, unless each Picante Falafel Bite was cut in half and a squeegee was used to scrape off any remaining Salsa Hummus Dip from the bowl.
Then, somehow, I had the idea to add a smidgen of Pace® Picante Sauce to the Falafel I was making to moisten them up. And WOA! That Pace® Southwest flavor permeated these cumin and coriander spiced, chickpea falafel, adding another layer of flavoring to them -making them so hard to resist! In the same way, I added Pace® Salsa to the hummus I was making as I didn’t have any tahini on hand and forgot to collect the leftover chickpea juice aka aquafaba to add to it like I usually do. Best decision ever! When my daughter got home and we fished out spoons to finish “taste-testing” this Salsa Hummus Dip, I figured I wasn’t going to have any left to take to that homegating party! Back to baking and blending!
I sure hope I’ve convinced you a give this Salsa Hummus Dip & Picante Falafel Bites a try – I’m pretty sure you won’t be disapointed!
Ingredients
Picante Falafel Bites
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas make sure to rinse, drain well an then dry between two sheets of paper towels by rubbing them gently. The skins may peel off when rubbing them dry, just discard the skins
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 an onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 4 tablespoons Pace® Picante Hot
Salsa Hummus Dip
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa Medium
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
For the platter
- 1 yellow squash washed sliced and drizzled with lemon
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- Pace® Chunky Salsa Medium
- Pace® Picante Hot
Instructions
Picante Falafel Bites
- Preheat oven to 375
- Add chickpeas, celery stalk, onion, garlic, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, pepper, parsley, cilantro, & Pace® Picante (Hot) to a food processor and pulse till ingredients are incorporated – don’t process till chickpeas are mushy/too creamy as it will make it hard to form the falafel.
- After this, roll spoonfuls into mini or bite sized falafel.
- Bake on a foil lined and sprayed baking tray for 20-22 minutes.
Salsa Hummus Dip
- Add chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, Pace® Chunky Salsa (Medium), lemon juice, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor and blend/process till creamy.
- Serve Salsa Hummus Dip on a platter with Picante Falafel Bites, Yellow Squash “Chips”, Zucchini “Chips”, Carrot “Chips”, celery, and Pace® Chunky Salsa, and Pace® Picante.
Such a well plated platter! I must try those falafel…definitely the star here.
What a yummy idea for game day! I think this sounds great for those halloween parties too!
This platter is so beautiful and the Picante Falafel looks AMAZING. I can’t wait to make these. My whole family will love them.
I’m a grazer. Love to snack. All day, every day. And this platter looks right up my alley! SO perfect and delicious looking!!
great snack platter, I love that your serving falafel bites with this, it makes an ordinary veggie dish into something gourmet
A squee-gee, huh? HA ha ha. I can just see you now. So funny. I love this platter my friend. And how you incorporated this delicious Pace picante sauce. We keep it stocked at our house too. So many great uses! I have also used it on salad with great results!! I love the veggie combination you’ve got going here and we will have to try this falafel recipe. Thank you Shashi. Hope you are having a great week so far and that you haven’t lost any more to-do lists this week…And please tell your mom know I’m sorry for her loss. (the Brazil nuts…) It’s easy to get carried away with the good eats.) Love ya! XO
Woah, this sounds incredible! We love gamedays around here, too…both for the football and for the snacking! We go back and forth between salsa and hummus, so what a clever idea to just combine the two into one amazing dip! And then those falafel bites as dippers? Yes, please! You know how to homegate for sure! I can see why you might have eaten all of these before they made it to the party…oopsie. 🙂 #client
That is one seriously stunning sharing platter! I could quite happily tuck into this any day of the week. I might even share. 😉
What a yummy party tray idea! We love Pace for mixing with avocado and making a quick/easy guac dip. This sounds amazing too!
Pace is a good brand — if I’m not making my own salsa, it’s the brand I usually reach for. Anyway, what a neat dish! And yes, I’d have to “taste test” it extensively before I served it to guests too! 🙂
Wow, those falafel bites sound fantastic!! I am sure I would be standing right next that platter if I see it at a party 🙂
LOL! Well Shashi, I’m a firm believer in the saying – It’s the thought that counts!! I mean, it sounds like you have the VERY BEST intentions! 😉 Anyways, LOVE this platter of deliciousness!!! Seriously, you are so creative and this is a genius use of Pace! Love that salsa hummus and those picante falafel bites!! Do you deliver because mama WANTS! Cheers, lovely! xo
Lol, aaw I’m sure they all forgive you though! Especially if you have this gorgeous platter out for them! I love the salsa and falafel bites and can seriously polish off this whole platter in no time 🙂
A spicy salsa hummus dip sounds a great idea. This jarred salsa is precisely what we have bought so many times to top our Mexican dishes but now I will have to try it in hummus as well.
What a gorgeous and vibrant platter! Loving your addition of the picante sauce, totally unpredicted but can already envision how delicious of an addition this was to your platter items. This would be a fabulous gluten-free vegan and low carb platter. Great for diabetics too. FAB idea Shashi! Lots more weekend gatherings coming up and tailgating so this is great timing. Sharing!
I’m a sucker for salsa and will happily eat it straight from the jar with a spoon, so the idea of picante falafel bites sounds all sorts of amazing. Also, it’d totally be cool with everyone if I just grabbed this entire tray and kept it all for myself, yeah? Because this is my idea of snack plate heaven <3
haha well I can see why you ate most of these falafel bites before getting them to the party!! I think I would too! They look so pop-able and delicious!!
We adore hummus here! In fact I made a batch yesterday with a different flavour profile. Love this idea for a salsa with felafel bites! 😀
I’ve never thought about adding salsa to hummus before, but it sounds delicious! I love that pretty color too!
Everything sounds wonderful. I can see why there wasn’t enough left to take to the party. I like Pace brand also, good stuff.
You are such a great friend and daughter Shashi! This platter looks gorgeous! Need it!!!
What a great way to spice up the hummus. I must try this sometime 🙂
Well, you definitely have good intentions! Thought that counts, right? I absolutely love falafel and this platter looks amazing! So healthy and would love to have this any day of the week! I never thought of adding salsa to hummus before so this is something I have to try 🙂
WOW–this looks SO amazing!! This has got me seriously excited because I definitely have picante sitting in my fridge still 🙂 sign me up!
What a great snack platter for game days and holidays! Looks delicious!