Autumn Hummus

We often have hummus as a snack or appetizer at our house. It’s a great way to calm a hungry growling tummy while preparing supper. I rummage through my fridge slicing up a wide array of colorful vegetables to dip into the hummus. It’s pretty, delicious and a healthy, nutritious snack.

It’s amazing to see how much refrigerated shelf space is allotted to hummus in our local grocery stores. It really has become a booming business! I have to admit that I often pick up a tub or two, especially if I’m shopping while hungry. I am tempted by the variety of toppings – pine nuts – roasted peppers – and lots of garlic but I’m often unhappy with my selection when I get home. If you look at the Nutritional Facts you’ll see that most of the major brands are full of salt and preservatives. So disappointing for a product that comes across as a healthy alternative to chips and cookies. What’s even worse is that the flavored selections only have a tiny little dollop of ingredients in the middle. One time I splurged on pine nut hummus and found that there were only about 6 pine nuts in the entire tub.

Don’t despair! It’s extremely easy to make hummus from scratch and enjoy a healthier, fresher, more flavorful product. What’s best is that you can let your imagination run wild with toppings! I’ve topped my homemade hummus with a wide variety depending on my mood: sauteed onions, truffle oil and honey, toasted sesame oil and a handful of pine nuts or a sprinkle of garnet colored pomegranate seeds to name a few.

I’ve even experimented blending hummus with cocoa powder and a little vanilla extract, then topping it with hazelnuts as a Nutella-inspired dip. I justify the decadent flavor by telling myself that cacao beans are a “fruit.”

Lately I’ve been adding some seasonal flavors to my hummus by blending in pumpkin puree and spices, topped of course, with some toasted pumpkin seeds! The bright orange color makes it a perfect appetizer for Halloween. I serve it with “Kii Naturals” brand crackers – flavored with cranberry and pumpkin seeds. I like the flavor combination as well as the contrast of the dark crackers against the brightly colored hummus.

AUTUMN HUMMUS
2 (15 oz.) cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
4 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons water
1 lemon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (and more for serving)
Shelled, toasted pumpkin seeds (or spiced pepitas)

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put the chickpeas, pumpkin puree, tahini and water in a blender (or small food processor) and pulse until smooth.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add the juice, pumpkin pie spice, cumin, garlic and oil to the blender and continue processing until well-combined.

Put the pumpkin hummus into a medium bowl and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.