Makes 4 cups.
1 baguette or other long loaf of crusty bread
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup water
4 cups canned chickpeas, drained (reserve 1/4 cup liquid)
1 whole roasted red pepper (I used fire-roasted, from a jar), finely diced, divided
1 Tbsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
English or mini-seedless cucumber, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Slice the bread 1/4-inch thick, on the diagonal, and place slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast under the broiler or on a grill until very lightly browned on both sides. If desired, brush the tops with olive oil. (I usually don't do this, to keep the calorie count down, but it does taste great if you do.) Set aside.
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the garlic, lime juice and tahini until it turns into a smooth paste. Add the water, chickpeas, and half of the red pepper, and continue to process until mixture is almost fluffy. Add some of the reserved chickpea liquid, if necessary to achieve a light, spreadable consistency. Season with the cumin. Transfer to a bowl.
Stir the rest of the diced red pepper into the hummus. (At this point, you can refrigerate the hummus, covered, in the refrigerator for several days.)
Spread hummus on each of the toasted bread slices, and top each with a slice of cucumber, if desired.