September 18, 2015

Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus

Name: Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients: 3 large Garlic Cloves (, peeled); 1 15- ounce can Garbanzo Beans (, drained); 1 cup Pumpkin Puree ((homemade or canned)); 3 tablespoons Lemon Juice; 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 2 tablespoons Tahini; 1 teaspoon ground Cumin; 3 teaspoons Adobo Sauce ((taken from a can of Chipotle Chilies en Adobo or a jar of Adobo Sauce)); 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt; Roasted (, salted Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to garnish the hummus)

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As fall settles in I find foods with deeper flavors are more appealing to me. You too? Foods that are soul-warming without being bulky are great, especially those I can eat a little bit of quickly or on the way out the door. I also find as it gets colder, I’m not as inclined to eat fresh vegetables the way I devour them in the summer. Finding a double duty food like Hummus, which is high in protein to pair with crudité is perfect.

We tend to buy hummus often but it’s easy to make in less than 5 minutes. It’s essentially lemon juice, garlic, garbanzo beans (also known as chick peas), tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil and salt. All the ingredients are processed through a food processor or strong blender resulting in a thick, creamy, vibrant flavored dip or spread depending on how you use it.

Thoughts of pumpkin recipes are wafting through my mind these days and I love thinking of options to incorporate pumpkin that aren’t mainstream. Pumpkin gets a bit of a raw deal in the recipe department I think. Its season of glory is almost upon us and only lasts until early December when most cooks turn their attention toward holiday and winter flavors. Pumpkin desserts are a given. Pumpkin bread? Check. There are so many other tasty recipes to allow pumpkin to shine. Some of the favorites of Boulder Locavore readers include: Slow Cooker Spicy Pumpkin Chicken Corn Chowder, Pumpkin Ricotta Pancakes with Ginger-Thyme Syrup, Pumpkin Spice Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Dark Salted Caramel Glaze, Pumpkin-Spice Panna Cotta with Gingersnap-Toffee Crust, Pumpkin Polenta with Bacon-Maple Gravy and the Best method for Roasting Pumpkin seeds avoiding all the goop (this one almost shut down my website for the furious traffic to that post last October).

I personally feel the natural earthy sweetness of pumpkin compliments smoky, spicy flavors. I decided to make a Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus to celebrate the season and it has quickly become a favorite! It’s a beautiful blend of traditional hummus flavors, pumpkin, smoky chipotle all in a comingling of flavors where none overtake the others. It’s ready in less than 5 minutes too so easy to create something special and seasonal without slaving to do it.

It’s common to serve quarters of pita bread to dip with hummus, however being gluten-free and in the spirit of keeping up with daily vegetable servings going, I typically eat it with carrots, celery sticks, jicama slices or a selection of gluten-free crackers. It makes a perfect snack, lunch box serving, appetizer or just to have on hand when wanting a little bite of something sassy!