Hummus is still my number one go-to lunch time ingredient. I love it on toast, in wraps, with salads or on baked potatoes. Or just as a lovely dip to coat crunchy veggies with. And even though I do love it so, it is good to jazz it up from time to time.
My beetroot hummus recipe is really popular; I’m often sent photos or tagged in posts from people who have made it and are blown away by the awesome colour and flavour. And it is impressive for sure. I believe this roasted squash and harissa hummus is a strong competitor in the popularity stakes!
Squash are a great vegetable to include in your diet on a regular basis as they are packed full of highly colourful orange and yellow pigmented phytonutrients, particularly betacarotene which is the plant version of vitamin A. This particular vitamin is essential for a healthy immune system as well as eyes, skin and hair. So it can help you feel and look good! To find out more about the benefits of squash, have a look at this blog post.
If you’ve not had harissa before, watch out – it has a kick! It’s a paste made with chillis and spices which can be found in supermarkets and speciality shops, usually in the Middle Eastern ingredient area. If you don’t like spice or have to avoid spicy foods, particularly chilli, then just omit this from the hummus – it will still taste gorgeous!
I’ve been seeing concern about the amount of calcium available in a plant based diet. You’ll be pleased to know that both chickpeas and tahini (ground sesame seeds) contain good amounts of calcium, so a serving of this yummy hummus will also be a good source of calcium along with complex fibre, which will make your microbiome happy.
One of the key ingredients for this hummus is of course roasted squash. Rather than putting the oven on just to roast a small amount of squash (which will use up energy as well as put your fuel bill up!), try to plan when you are going to make it. You can roast it when you’re cooking something else then keep it in an air-tight container until you are ready to make the hummus. Alternatively, if you’re making a meal that includes roasted squash, add extra to the pan so you have enough to make the hummus as well.
You’ll notice in the recipe there is no added oil to this hummus recipe. Traditionally, olive oil is added to hummus to create a rich dip, and certainly any of the hummus you buy in the supermarkets contain refined oil, often sunflower or rapeseed oil, both of which can trigger inflammation. Extra virgin olive oil is known to be anti-inflammatory but storage and quality can be issue unless you are buying directly from the producer, something which is hard to do away from a Mediterranean country!
A whole-food plant-based diet omits refined oils. That’s not to say there’s no fat in this recipe – this comes from the tahini. If you are using this way of eating to transform a health problem it’s important to avoid refined oils as much as possible. So making this hummus at home without added oils but still with lots of fab flavour really is the best way to go!
I hope you enjoy this colourful and tasty hummus. Do let me know if you give it a go as I’d love to know what you think.
Roasted squash and harissa hummus
Ingredients
- 70 grams roasted squash cooled and peeled
- 400 gram tin chickpeas, drained or 260grams home cooked chickpeas
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 cloves roasted garlic or 1 raw garlic
- 1/2 lemon juice only
- salt and pepper
- water as needed
- 1 tbsp harissa
Instructions
- Place the roasted squash, chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse a few times to break down.
- Add water a little at a time and blend again until you get the consistency you like.
- Check the flavour and add more lemon juice, salt or pepper as needed.
- Transfer the roasted squash hummus mix into a serving bowl. Spoon the harissa on top and serve.
- Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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