Pumpkin Hummus

I think the birds are jealous of my dip.

They call the first line of a story in journalism school the hook. I was hoping that the title of this post might be your hook.  And I know- it sounds strange. But don’t stop reading now; this dip is delicious.

Once I brought up the idea of a pumpkin appetizer (see previous post) I got so excited at the prospect that I couldn’t relent until I found one that would work. And for the five of you that read this blog, I hear you- you are tired of pumpkin posts. I sense it. But this recipe is amazing- and I promise you it works.

This is my last pumpkin photo for a while. Maybe.

Combining two of my favorite foods (pumpkin+hummus) makes me a bit giddy about what you are about scoop into. This hummus is creamy, rich, and briney with a hint of lemon and garlic. And it would make a perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal. Start with pumpkin hummus, end with pumpkin pie. Which, to my family-you will be relieved to know-will not be my dessert of choice this year.

So bust out your Pilgrim hats (or Indian headdresses), whip out a can of pumpkin, and get food processing.

This recipe is taken from Cooking Light with a few of my own tweaks.

What You Need:

  • 4 (6-inch) pitas, onion flavor (or any of your choosing), each cut into 8 wedges
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • a half of a lemon, squeezed and de-seeded (if you like your hummus more lemon-y, reserve the other half just in case)
  • 1 generous teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil plus more if your food processor is like mine, which means tiny and the blades get stuck
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped, which may be uneccessary because we are putting it into a food processor for goodness sake
  • cilantro for garnish

You Will

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Cut your pitas in half, then cut each half into thirds with a pizza cutter. Toss the pieces lightly with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt.  Bake them on a cookie sheet at 350° for 10 minutes or until toasted. (Side note: make sure and space the pieces with room to breathe on each side for the best, crispiest edges.)
  3. Put tahini and the next seven ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor, and process until smooth and a uniform color and consistency. Spoon hummus into a serving bowl; sprinkle with cilantro (or parsley or basil), if desired. Serve with toasted pita wedges.