I eat about 5 times a day. And regularly carry nuts and apples in my bag when I go out for the day [yep, I’m a bit like a 4 year old but at least I can pack my own snacks]. So I am constantly on the hunt for healthy in-between meal type things that aren’t always carb based.
Hummus from the store tends to have all kinds of crap in it and some pretty odd tastes depending what brands you get, yet it is SOOO easy to make yourself.
This has bit of a twist on the traditional stuff but it really comes down to protein from the chickpeas and tahini and a bit of vitamin A and smoothness from the pumpkin. Yum.
It’s very much a make-it-your-own kind of thing with the various ingredient amounts. If you like really lemony hummus, then add more lemon juice, if not, just add a bit. I start with juice from a quarter of a lemon but usually end up using the whole thing.
Tahini adds a really nice flavour and richness but if you don’t have it, it’s not the end of the world. I made hummus for years without it because I couldn’t justify getting that whole jar just for one batch of dip – these days I use tahini on everything…including spread on toast with yogurt and applesauce [you either just made the face I get from RJ when I have it or you thought to yourself, I should try that. There is not much in-between]. You can put in more or less garlic too. I may have put in some chilli sauce for good measure….
Pumpkin Hummus
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 cup steamed butternut pumpkin [squash]
1-2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp tahini
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice from 1 lemon
sea salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Cut pumpkin into large chunks and steam for 10 mins or so until very tender when pierced with a fork, cool slightly and remove skin. ‘They’ say you can eat steamed butternut skin but I still remove it….
Rinse chickpeas [the glugy stuff in the can with beans freaks me out, and generally has way too much sodium in it]. Place all ingredients into a jug and blend to combine. You can leave it chunky or make it really smooth. The pumpkin will provide plenty of moisture so there is no need to add any additional water. It also means that the olive oil can be kept to a minimum, but make sure to put some in as it adds silkiness – and is really good for you.
Serve with cut up veggies, crackers or toasted bread points. Great as a spread on sandwiches too.
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