The Kidlet's class is having a special, end-of-the-month celebration this Friday. They're watching a movie and families are allowed to send in treats to share with the class.

We worked on making some special cupcakes decorated to look like a graveyard last night, but I also wanted to send in some healthy treats. After perusing a few different ideas, I settled on this pumpkin hummus. Not only is it reasonably healthy, it's also vegan and gluten-free, so it should accommodate most special diets. And it let me use up some of the leftover pumpkin purée in the fridge. And it meant I had aquafaba available for making the vegan cupcakes later. So, a pretty nice combo all-in-all.

Pumpkin Hummus

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 c. aquafaba¹
• 1 1/2 c. pumpkin purée
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. tahini
• 2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-3 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/4 c. pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), to garnish

Directions

1. Add the chickpeas, aquafaba, and pumpkin purée to the blender (in that order) and purée.
2. Add the olive oil, tahini, 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. of garlic paste, chilies, dhania-jeera masala, salt, and mixed spice and whizz until smooth.
3. Add a little more aquafaba if needed to get it to blend nicely.
4. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more lemon juice or garlic (or spices) as necessary.
5. Serve topped with pepitas.
6. Add an optional swirl of olive oil and/or ground chilies if desired.

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¹ Aquafaba = "bean water". If using tinned chickpeas, save the water from the can when you drain them and use a bit of that. If cooking your own, reserve a bit of the cooking water. ^Back