Acorn Squash Hummus

Years ago I would have never openly served a hummus dish other than one made strictly from chickpeas and tahini (sesame seed paste). I thought I might offend a guest or anyone who thought it would be impossible to enjoy alternatives, although I’ve been playing around with recipes that used red pepper and different types of squash for years and knew they were just as delicious. In fact, here are so many great ingredients that go with tahini , garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, so why not? Well, now’s the time. I may not be able to serve you directly but with this recipe for Acorn Squash Hummus, I hope you’ll do some experimenting of your own and enjoy just how wonderful this alternative can be. And besides, there are some chickpeas in this dish…

The best thing about this recipe is that there are minimal ingredients. If you’re already roasting acorn squash for a side dish or my favorite soup recipe, that’s great because you only need to use one half for this.

Try to use fresh organic lemons or lemon juice as well as a good quality tahini sauce.  Allow yourself time to roast the squash and let it cool before handling it in the food processor. Season it just the way you like, including some sea salt. You can use the same seasonings I describe in this video, which also has links to a recipe.

The hummus is actually very good as-is topped with some great quality olive oil, however, I noticed that it needed a little something extra on top and I didn’t want to use any paprika or fresh parsley because I didn’t think those flavors would complement the dip too well; instead I wanted something crunchy and realized that in traditional hummus recipes, fresh chickpeas are used to decorate the dish and also taste very good. To be a little different, I added Saffron Road‘s Falafel Crunchy Chickpeas on top. They were wonderful on top- and because they’re organic and gluten-free, I am happy to say that the entire dish is organic and healthy through and through. It’s passed the taste test of guests and family members so I think it’s something I’ll be serving this fall and winter when I warm the house with wonderful people and wholesome, healthy food, insha’allah.

Acorn Squash Hummus

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1/2 seasoned and roasted acorn squash

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini

2-3 cloves garlic

freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon olive oil plus more for drizzling

1-2 tablespoons Saffron Road Falafel Crunchy Chickpeas

Directions

Roast the squash according to these directions, then let cool.

Remove the flesh of the squash from the shell and place in a food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients. Puree for at least 30 seconds or until it is smooth and the garlic has been fully incorporated.

Use a spatula to scrape out the dip onto a plate. Drizzle with olive oil and add the crunchy chickpeas on top. Serve  at room temperature with warm pita bread or baked pita chips.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to review any of the products in this post, however, I did receive a complimentary bag of Saffron Road‘s Falafel Crunchy Chickpeas.