RECIPES FROM NORENE’S HEALTHY KITCHEN

When I was a guest recently on Martha Stewart’s radio show Living Today hosted by the marvelous Mario Bosquez, I brought along this scrumptious Pumpkin Hummus from Norene’s Healthy Kitchen . I served it in miniature ice cream cones and dipped the tops in pumpkin seeds. For a scrumptious variation, use roasted butternut squash instead of pumpkin! Here’s the link to 2 photos taken by Mario Bosquez in the studio which he’s posted on Facebook: tinyurl.com/yf8goum

PUMPKIN HUMMUS

They’ll never know this scrumptious spread contains pumpkin. The inspiration for this recipe comes from cookbook author and dear friend Kathy Guttman. I added chickpeas to pump up the nutritional profile. It makes a big batch, but you can make half the recipe and use the leftover pumpkin to make Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. Keep on pump-in!

6 cloves garlic (about 2 Tbsp minced)
1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro leaves
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can (15 oz/425 mL) canned pumpkin (about 2 cups)
2 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp smoked or Hungarian paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 to 2 tsp pure maple syrup (or to taste)
Pumpkin seeds, for garnish

  1. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the garlic and parsley until finely minced, about 10 seconds. Add the chickpeas and process until puréed, about 18 to 20 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except the pumpkin seeds and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water.
  2. Transfer the puréed pumpkin mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor. Garnish with pumpkin seeds at serving time.

Yield: About 4 cups. Keeps about 1 week in the refrigerator. Freezes well for up to a month.

19 calories per Tbsp, 2.4 g carbohydrate, 0.5 g fiber, 1 g protein, 0.9 g fat (0.1 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 52 mg sodium, 30 mg potassium, 0 mg iron, 6 mg calcium

Chef’s Secrets

  • Skinny Dip! This hummus is delicious as a dip served with raw vegetables or toasted pita wedges. It’s also scrumptious as a spread on grilled pita bread and sandwiches.
  • Wrap-ture! When making wraps, spread tortillas with hummus instead of mayonnaise.
  • Frozen Assets! Freeze in 1 cup containers. When needed, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir before serving.