Plus, Pumpkin Hummus
And, just like that, it’s fall. I love fall, which I know is completely unique (that’s sarcasm, people). I’m not great in the summer heat and humidity or in the cold and snowy weather. Spring is fine, but it lasts for about two seconds here in Western New York, so it’s not really worth getting attached to. Fall, though – it lasts for a good two months and you can wear sweaters and socks and make fires and eat soup and apples and pumpkin everything. I love it.
Hubs and I had a rousing debate recently with a friend about which fall flavor is better, apple or pumpkin. Hubs votes for pumpkin, our friend for apple and I refused to pick a side – I love them both. We raged for half an hour or so, then agreed to disagree and closed the topic by devouring a homemade apple crisp topped with pumpkin ice cream from Main Street Ice Cream.
This year, fall also means football, which it does every year, but here in Buffalo I think everyone is a little extra excited for it. The Bills had such a great season that no one can wait to see what happens this year. The Child is particularly fired up – he’s never known a world in which the Bills are not a good team and his optimism is contagious. He pores through football cards and talks statistics and listens to sports radio and reenacts plays in the backyard. I hope and pray his optimism will be rewarded.
This past weekend, we held our Sort-of Annual Apple Picking Party. It’s Sort-of Annual, because we’ve lived here for three autumns and last fall did not have any apples at all to harvest. This year, our apple trees in The Orchard are bent over, laden with fruit. We’ve been picking apples for weeks and giving away bags of them. Friends, family and neighbors came to pick baskets full, eat, drink and watch the Bills-Miami game. Loads of cousins played football with The Child and swarmed the swing set in the backyard. Dogs ran wild, distributing their personalities and hoping someone would drop a hot dog or burger.
All the fall flavors were represented, some of it homemade, some of it store-bought. Pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers. Apple cupcakes and pumpkin cupcakes (gluten-free and vegan, courtesy of Sweet Pea Bakery). My homemade apple bread. Apple cider and the greatest pumpkin cookies on the planet, from Schwab’s Farm Market.
I wanted something savory too. I had planned to do a pumpkin soup, but the day was too warm for soup, so I did some recipe research. I didn’t want anything too labor-intensive, and I wanted something that would fit the gluten-free and vegan needs of our friends.
I found it in this Pumpkin Hummus. Technically, it is not a hummus, since it is made with cannellini beans instead of chickpeas and contains no tahini. However, I know my friends and family, and they were not going to eat something called Pumpkin Bean Spread. So hummus it was.
I adore hummus. As a non-meat eater, it’s so easy to use hummus in a wrap or pita, or plop some on top of a salad for protein. I try to make it myself, because it’s so simple, but when I’m feeling lazy I’ll buy the Ithaca Hummus brand or pick some up from The Grange Community Kitchen (best hummus EVER).
This hummus is a nice change, because it doesn’t have the lemon-y, garlic-y taste one normally associates with hummus. Instead, the dominant flavors are chili powder and cumin, with cilantro if you like it. The pumpkin is very mild. It stays in the background, but adds color and massive amounts of nutrients. One cup of pumpkin puree has 49 calories and 3 grams of fiber. Americans struggle mightily with fiber. The recommendation is to consume 25-35 grams of fiber each day, but most Americans get 10-15. Fiber is the part of plants that humans can’t digest. Since we generally don’t eat enough plants, we generally don’t get enough fiber.
I love talking about fiber. When I teach nutrition seminars, people always comment on how excited I get about fiber. I can’t help it, I’m a fiber nerd.
Fiber has so many valuable benefits. It comes in two different forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and other body fluids and forms a gel-like substance. As it travels through the body, it binds to cholesterol and eliminates it from the body. Soluble fiber also helps slow digestion, which helps keep us feeling full longer and can help to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in the body. Instead, it absorbs water like a sponge, and helps to produce softer, bulkier stools which are easier to pass. This type of fiber is sometimes called “roughage.” Insoluble fiber prevents constipation and may reduce the risk of intestinal cancers by reducing the transit time of food. Remember that if you’re increasing fiber intake to increase water intake as well. This gives the “sponge” something to absorb. (Read a great article here about the benefits of fiber.) Fiber also is fermented in the gut by our friendly bacteria, which help to keep us healthy in a variety of ways. (I sense a future blog post on that topic.) If you are interested in adding more fiber to your diet, or making other healthy changes, contact me today.
My Pumpkin Hummus is loaded with fiber. The cannellini beans add another 11 grams of fiber per cup. I served the hummus with pretzels and crackers for the party, but you could dip peppers or other veggies for an extra fiber boost. It would also be great rolled into a veggie wrap with avocado, tomatoes and black beans. (Double beans! My fiber-loving heart is full.)
I use fresh pumpkin, roasted in the oven and then pureed, for my pumpkin recipes. Every year, I roast several small pumpkins and freeze the puree in one-cup portions to use throughout the year in recipes. If you decide to go this route, use pie pumpkins (like the one shown in the photo) and treat them like any other winter squash. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and place them facedown in a baking dish with a bit of water so they don’t stick. Roast at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Let them cool, then scoop the flesh into a food processor and process until smooth. I scoop the puree into a cheesecloth-lined strainer and let it drain overnight, then portion the drained puree into freezer containers. (Remember to label! Everything looks the same in the freezer.) Defrost before using.
If that seems like WAY too much work, you can certainly use a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). Using canned puree will make your hummus much more orange than using homemade puree. Canned pumpkin usually has added beta-carotene for consistent color. Beta-carotene is the stuff that makes orange veggies orange.
This recipe would be great for Halloween parties or as a Thanksgiving appetizer. Hummus is also generally kid-friendly, so it’s a great snack if you’ve got little ones around. You can adjust the amount of chili powder if necessary. Neither The Child nor I like spicy foods, so I cut the chili powder in half.
Enjoy the recipe and Happy Fall! Go Bills!
Pumpkin Hummus
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (or 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree)
1/4 cup orange or lemon juice (I used lemon)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder (I used 1 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Fresh cilantro leaves
Add all ingredients to food processor. Cover and process until mostly smooth. Add additional salt to taste. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Before serving, top with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh cilantro leaves.
Adapted from bhg.com
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