Health + Wellness

Pumpkin Hummus

christineberardi

  Christine Berardi, MNU’s Contributing Food Editor, shares her spin on a healthy favorite with today’s recipe.

 

Hard squashes or pumpkins are everywhere this time of year, from pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin muffins to jack o’ lanterns. As much as I love the traditional cinnamon/clove/ginger spices of sweet pumpkin treats, I also love it in savory dishes. But pumpkin isn’t just another pretty face! It is packed with beta carotene which turns into Vitamin A in the body, a powerful immune booster.

 

Turning roasted (or good quality canned) pumpkin puree into a hummus style spread is quick and easy, enriched with the Omega 3’s in tahini, a tasty healthy spread for pita chips or vegetable sticks. I found this savory shawarma spice mix by Spicely when I lived in California; it is a blend intended to season meat for grilling, but the combination of savory and sweet spices works so well with vegetables. If you can’t find the spice mixture, I listed the four main ingredients.

 

pumpkinhummus

 

My favorite pumpkin is the kabocha. It’s a green, knobbly skinned flattened ball with a thick wall of dense, sweet flesh that bakes down to a smooth creamy texture. I just halve the pumpkin with a sharp knife, scrape out the seeds and bake it cut side down on a baking sheet at 300F for 30 minutes or so, then scoop out the orange flesh. If you prefer, canned purees are convenient and have been cooked down to an even more nutrient dense state than fresh pumpkin. Find an organic brand you like and keep a couple of cans in the pantry.

 

Roasted or olive oil poached garlic is another great item to keep around the house. Buy a little tub of peeled garlic cloves and either toss with olive oil in a baking dish and cook low and slow at about 200 for 20-30 minutes until they are caramelized and soft, or place them in a small saucepan, cover with olive oil and poach over very low heat for about 45 minutes. Pour the garlic and oil into a glass jar and refrigerate. Sweet and mellow, these nuggets will be ready to add flavor to risotto, pasta sauce, or hummus for a month or so.

 

Pumpkin Hummus

 

Recipe

1 ½ cups pureed roasted pumpkin

3 tablespoons tahini

3 cloves roasted garlic

1 clove raw garlic, crushed or grated on a microplane

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Spicely organic shawarma seasoning (or ¼ teaspoon each of ground bay leaves, cinnamon, coriander, and thyme)

2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil plus more to serve.

Sumac (optional)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pumpkin, tahini, garlic, and spices. Process until smooth. Mix about half of the lemon juice and olive oil in , check for taste and consistency (you don’t want the hummus to be too liquid) and then add the rest to taste.

Serve with toasted pita wedges or vegetable sticks. Drizzle the top with olive oil and dust with sumac.

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