Thanksgiving Week Day 2 - Spicy Pumpkin Hummus

Welcome to Day 2 of Thanksgiving Week! Today is all about the appetizer part of the meal. If your family is like mine, the big feast won’t be ready until later in the evening and you’re going to need something to satisfy your hungry guests while they wait. But since your oven is likely to be occupied by the turkey or other dishes, you’ll want an appetizer that doesn’t require any heating, and better yet, one that can be made the day before. The solution? Hummus!

I love making hummus because it’s cheap, easy, healthy, and there are so many different flavours to try! Beet hummus would be a gorgeous addition to your table, but if you want something that feels a little more “Thanksgiving-y”, why not try out this spicy pumpkin hummus! Not only does it have a nice fall flavour, but it’s also a great way to use up some of the leftover pumpkin you’ll have after making your pumpkin pie. And the best part is that you can whip this up the day before Thanksgiving and keep it in the fridge, so you don’t even have to worry about the appetizer on the big day.

This hummus is really tasty, with the perfect hint of spice to give your tastebuds a kick, but feel free to add more cayenne pepper if you want it even spicier – as with any hummus recipe, it’s important to keep taste-testing until you get the flavour you like!

The addition of pumpkin isn’t very detectable taste-wise, but the pumpkin did give the hummus a nice orange-ish colour and a really creamy and smooth texture. If you wanted a stronger pumpkin flavour, you could probably try adding more pumpkin and even playing around with the spices a bit - instead of a spicy version you could try using pumpkin pie spices for a totally different version - I haven't tested this myself but if you do, let me know how it works out!

I served this with homemade tortilla chips (recipe below), but it would also be great served with pita chips, carrots, or your other favourite dipper. And if you come back here for Day 3 of Thanksgiving Week tomorrow, you’ll find a bread recipe that would go great with this hummus!

Also be sure to check out today’s Thanksgiving recipe over at Vanilla & Spice: creamy, comforting curried pumpkin cauliflower soup!

Spicy Pumpkin Hummus

Adapted from LCBO Food & Drink, Autumn 2011 issue

Makes about 2 ½ cups of hummus

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons tahini

1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Place chickpeas, garlic cloves, lemon juice, water, and tahini in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add pumpkin and seasonings and blend until well incorporated. With the motor running, drizzle in olive oil until blended.

Taste, and adjust any seasonings to your taste (I added a bit more lemon juice, salt, and cayenne).

Optional Crackers to Serve with the Hummus:

Flour tortillas

Cooking spray

Garam masala, cumin, salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut desired amount of tortillas into chip-sized triangles. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle the tops with the seasonings. Bake until crispy, 6 to 8 minutes.

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For other Thanksgiving appetizer ideas, check out these links:

Sugar coated pecans from All Recipes

Cherry pistachio goat cheese balls from 6 Bittersweets

Sweet potato bites from Vanilla & Spice

Savory pumpkin & sage gougères from Cookin Canuck

Crescent-wrapped cranberry and brie from Life Made Delicious

Pumpkin and goat cheese tartlet appetizer from Pham Fatale

Pear chutney and goat cheese bruschetta from Good Housekeeping

Three no-bake Thanksgiving appetizers from Kitchen Simplicity

Thanksgiving appetizer recipes from Martha Stewart

25 last minute Thanksgiving appetizers from LA Times