Spider de Hummus

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Okay okay, before the rude comments (not that you would, but I know you're all thinking it), start pouring in about the utter homeliness of this little guy, (not to mention the slightly embarrassing scratched state of my Fiesta ware), not to mention the fact that this poor fellow is missing no less than 6 eyes and those creepy pincer things and his thorax for heaven's sake... Just first hear me out: Each and every one of my kids knew that this was a spider. And they were all delighted by it. Only one joined in dining on the hummus with me, but one is more than none, one is--by my very low standards--practically a conquest.

I got the idea for a savory spider from a much more stunning example over at Apron Strings. I liked the idea of a non-sweet, yet still thematic snack. But I wanted to make mine completely healthy and I had a purple pepper languishing in my refrigerator. I'd never had a purple pepper before, but when I saw Donna's spider, I just knew that dark purple legs would be just the thing, right? I said, right. Okay, well, maybe if Apron Strings had done it. But they didn't; I did. So I confess it, this snack isn't cute enough to take to a party. Unless of course, it is a party with very loving friends. But it is cute enough to delight your kids. And I was thinking it might be just the right pre-trick-or-treat snack: savory and protein-filled, with some veggies thereby. If, of course, your brood is the type to go for the hummus thing. 

But even if they don't, you can. Because my frumpstress spider tasted awesome and there's no use pretending you're not going to dip into any of the kids' candy after they're in bed.

By the way, purple bell peppers have a stronger taste than I expected. I was thinking they'd be along the lines of the sweet reds, but not so. They have a slightly stronger taste than green bells even, at least this one did.

Spider de Hummus
Serves 1-2
Prep and assembly time: 10 minutes
Cost: $.65
(hummus: .35, bell pepper: .25 (farmer's market for a small one), jalepeno: .05)

Your favorite hummus recipe (here's mine)
Bell peppers (one per spider), cut long (I used purple, but green would work too)
Jalepenos, sliced into rounds, for the eyes (or olives or some carrot rounds or whatever)

Plop 2/3 C hummus onto a plate. Add legs. Add eyes. Eat up.

Note: A recipe of my hummus will make 3 or 4 spiders like this.