Sweet Potato Hummus

WARNING: Addiction may occur.

I am absolutely obsessed with this recipe! It is definitely one of the best hummus recipes I have found in a while. Bursting with flavor, easy to prepare, packed with nutrients, and oh so addicting… It’s great for dipping tortilla chips, raw veggies, such as baby carrots, cucumber slices, and bell peppers, and also makes an excellent spread for sandwiches. My personal favorite is an open-face breakfast sandwich with sweet potato hummus, avocado slices, and a fried egg on top of a piece of toasted whole-wheat bread. And maybe topped with a splash of hot sauce. 😉

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you get to microwave the potato. America’s Test Kitchen actually compared baking the potato versus microwaving the potato and saw minimal to no difference between the two methods other than the fact that microwaving takes MUCH less time. Make sure to scrub and rinse the potato and prick it with a fork before microwaving. Another cool thing about sweet potatoes…they are packed with carotenoids! Carotenoids have been linked to a boost in the immune system and a decreased risk of degenerative diseases. How cool is that!

Drain and rinse those chickpeas!
Careful, it’s hot! I used a spoon to scrape out the insides.
And blend!

SWEET POTATO HUMMUS

Recipe from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), unpeeled
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

 Directions:

1. Prick sweet potato several times with fork, place on plate, and microwave until very soft, about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through microwaving. Slice potato in half lengthwise, let cool, then scrape sweet potato flesh from skin; discard skin.
2. Combine water and lemon juice in small bowl. In separate bowl, whisk tahini and oil together.
3. Process sweet potato, chickpeas, garlic, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice mixture in steady stream. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add tahini mixture in steady stream and process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
4. Transfer hummus to serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve. (Hummus can be refrigerated for up to 5 days; before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon warm water to loosen hummus texture if necessary).

Bon Appetit!