Pumpkin Hummus….is So Good!

If you have a love of orange vegetables and a love for all things hummus, why not marry the two?  That is exactly where I found myself one evening.  I had been craving hummus for about a week.  HOWEVER, my Dr. recently told me that I need to add sesame seeds (ie tahini) to the ever growing list of foods to avoid for a while (Thank you Dr.) That being said, I knew if I wanted hummus… I needed to make hummus.  No worries, hummus is crazy easy to make.  HOWEVER, it’s fall and as a responsible Autumnal citizen, I thought my hummus could use a little Beta-Carotene kick from the Squash family.

(I  pretty much <3 all orange veggies.  Remember this post?)  Hummus is a fairly healthy food in and of itself as long as you don’t O.D on it.  But, you add Pumpkin to the mix?  You’ve just boosted your immune system, your eye health, helped prevent cancer & heart disease, and just significantly bumped up the fiber and iron content of your diet. 

Pumpkins.  Not just for decorating.

Recipe: Pumpkin Hummus

Time: 10min

Difficulty: Easy

• 1 can Chick Peas, rinsed & drained
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/4 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tbs Coconut Oil
• 1 Tbs P2B (see below)
• salt & pepper to taste
• enough water to get it moving

Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and you will have hummus in about 30 seconds. 🙂

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min to give the flavors a chance to hang out and become BFF’s. [/recipe]

Hi, I’m “below.”

Ok, SO P2B.  If you haven’t heard of this stuff, let me first say, “You’re Welcome!” 

P2B is a powdered peanut butter.  The peanuts are roasted and pressed to release the oil and fat.  The result is a Peanut Butter that you re-hydrate with water or the milk of your choice (I’ve used Almond, Coconut and most recently Flax-yep that’s a thing.) And let me tell you, it’s good!  The only ingredients are peanuts, sugar and salt.  And while you’d think it would be loaded with extra salt and sugar to replace the fat, you’d be wrong 🙂  it actually has less than conventional Peanut Butter.

Obviously, I’ve used it here as a Tahini Replacement, BUT I’ve also used it in baking, to lighten up a Pad Thai recipe, and made it into an “ice cream” with frozen bananas.  So. Good. And at about 22 calories a Tbs, there’s nothing to have #foodguilt over 😀 Very important stuff especially being on the cusp of the Holiday season.  There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for indulgence.  Why not start now, “health-i-fying” up some of your recipes?

So, if you’ve been wanting to throw a low-calorie, nutrient dense, highly delicious party for your taste buds that will literally take you 5 min…look no further.

Hoping you enjoy some healthy indulgences this weekend 🙂

Until next time…

Meg