Roasted Garlic and Sage Pumpkin Hummus

By: Christine Zakhour

Thank you to Allison for having me on her beautiful site. I am wildly in love with the concept of Paridaez and practically live in my Bird of Paradise tanks. I am so happy to share one of my recipes over here today- roasted garlic and sage pumpkin hummus.

Through this hummus, I learned a method for quick roasting garlic that's greatly enhanced my life. Being Lebanese, I eat a TON of garlic, and I've been throwing roasted garlic on everything since. You simply separate the cloves from the bulb (keeping the skin on), spread them on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, then pop them out of the skin once they've slightly cooled.

This dip is SO delicious, but also has tons of benefits. First, it's vegan - so the perfect app that most everyone can eat. I am, of course, partial to the Mediterranean diet, since it's what I grew up (and continue) eating. That diet/lifestyle has tons of health benefits, and this hummus is a perfect example of some of them. Healthy fats from tahini and olive oil, fiber from the pumpkin and chickpeas, also protein from the chickpeas, beta-carotene and vitamin C from the pumpkin (much needed during winter!), and I'm pretty confident garlic is one magical ingredient - both taste and health-wise. Read more here and here.
I love this dip with warm pita, crackers or pita chips, and on roasted veggies. It's savory and sweet, and I can't get enough of it.

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups chickpeas or 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
salt to taste (~1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon)
sprinkle of nutmeg
2 tablespoons finely chopped dried cranberries

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the garlic cloves on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake until softened ~15 minutes. Let cool slightly and squeeze out of the skins.

Combine all ingredients except the dried cranberries in a food processor or high speed blender until smooth. (You should still see bits of sage). Stop the food processor and add the cranberries and pulse a few times, just until combined.

Note: Do not put full dried cranberries in and pulse rather than blend, or just stir in - otherwise, the blades will fling the cranberries everywhere! Spoon into a bowl and add toppings as desired. I usually add a little extra olive oil on top. Serve with warm pita, pita chips, crackers, toast, roasted veggies, and more!

For more Lebanese and Mediterranean-inspired recipes, you can check out my blog- www.thymeandtoast.com