Pumpkin Hummus

This is the week where I feature fall cooking attempts that resulted in dishes resembling baby food. But some baby food can be good, right? And a lot of it is orange.

First up is a pumpkin hummus that I made for a Halloween party. This wasn't an overly sweet hummus, which was a nice balance from other pumpkin dips I've had before. If you're a fan of hummus and pumpkin, you'll probably like this. I found the flavor good, but sadly not everybody was a fan. Yes, I was talking to someone who made a "blech" sound after tasting it, not realizing I had made it. Which I then pointed out. And it got awkward. But I stand by this recipe. Because we all have different taste buds.

I served this with homemade pita chips.

Pumpkin Hummus (makes approximately 2-3 cups)

Ingredients:

4 (6-inch) pitas, each cut into 8 wedges

Cooking spray

2 TB tahini (sesame-seed paste)

2 TB fresh lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 TB chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 TB pumpkinseed kernels, toasted (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place pita wedges on baking sheets; coat with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 6 minutes or until toasted.

Place tahini, lemon juice, cumin, oil, salt, red pepper, pumpkin, and garlic in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add parsley; pulse until blended. Spoon hummus into a serving bowl; sprinkle with pumpkinseed kernels, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.