Perfectly Pumpkin Hummus with Herb Drizzle
Perfectly Pumpkin Hummus with Herb Drizzle
When writing my recipes for our Sticky Fingers Cooking classes, I try to think about what foods kids already like and what new tastes we can introduce to them. Hummus (HUM-moohs or HUM-muhs) is a great food for kids because of the dipping involved. You can lay out a bowl of hummus and surround it with a plate of veggies, crackers, or pita bread, and kids always experiment with the different textures and flavors. Not only that, the different variations of hummus allow for a blending of kid-friendly flavors with Middle Eastern culture.
We made our Sticky Fingers Cooking hummus healthier by adding pumpkin and tastier with an herb drizzle. The best part is it's fun to make and eat when they dip their kid-made Fabulous Flatbread into Perfectly Pumpkin Hummus with Herb Drizzle!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- blend :
to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.
- chop :
to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.
- combine :
to merge two or more ingredients into one mixture, like a batter of flour, eggs, and milk.
- snip :
to use scissors to cut something with quick, sharp strokes.
- squeeze :
to firmly press or twist a food with fingers, hands, or a device to remove its liquid, like shredded potatoes, frozen and thawed spinach, or tofu.
Equipment Checklist
- Can opener
- Colander or strainer
- Citrus squeezer (optional)
- Cutting board
- Kid-safe knife
- Measuring spoons
- Dry measuring cups
- Food processor or blender (or bowl + immersion blender)
- Medium bowl
- Clean kid-friendly scissors (optional)
- Liquid measuring cup
Ingredients
Perfectly Pumpkin Hummus with Herb Drizzle
- pumpkin hummus:
- 1 16-oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained **(for LEGUME ALLERGY sub peeled, chopped zucchini + tahini or sunflower butter + pumpkin purée—amounts below)**
- 1/4 C pumpkin purée
- 3 T lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 T olive oil
- water, to thin if needed
- ground paprika, optional for sprinkling **(Omit for NIGHTSHADE ALLERGY)**
- herb drizzle:
- 1/4 C Italian parsley leaves
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 C olive oil
Food Allergen Substitutions
Perfectly Pumpkin Hummus with Herb Drizzle
- Legume: For 1 16-oz can garbanzo beans, substitute 1 C peeled, chopped zucchini + 1/4 C tahini (if no sesame allergy) or sunflower butter + extra 1/2 C pumpkin purée.
- Nightshade: Omit optional paprika.
Instructions
Perfectly Pumpkin Hummus with Herb Drizzle
pop + discard
Start with the hummus. Drain and rinse 1 can garbanzo beans. Pop off the skins from the beans and discard the skins. Kids love to do this!
squeeze + chop + combine
Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons and chop up 1 garlic clove. Combine the garbanzo beans, chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup pumpkin purée, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into a food processor or blender (or large bowl for use with an immersion blender).
blend + adjust
Blend the hummus until smooth. Add some water if needed until it reaches the desired consistency. Transfer your hummus to a bowl and clean out the food processor or blender if necessary.
snip + measure
Make the herb drizzle. Snip or tear 1/4 cup of Italian parsley leaves into small bits. Combine the parsley, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2/3 cup olive oil to the food processor or blender (or small bowl for use with an immersion blender).
blend + drizzle
Blend the herb drizzle until smooth and bright green. Drizzle on top of the hummus and sprinkle paprika on top, if using, before serving! Yum!
Hi! I’m Pumpkin!
"I'm orange, round, like to sit on your porch making faces in the Fall, and I'm good to eat! I'm a pumpkin! Of course, not all pumpkins are orange. We can be white, red, yellow, tan, blue, dark green, and even black! We're not always round, either! We might be tall and oblong or short and squat. We love it when families come to the pumpkin patch to pick out their favorite pumpkin to take home!"
History
- The pumpkin is a winter squash that is believed to have originated in Central America. Seeds from pumpkins were found in the highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico, dating back to 7000 to 5500 BCE, about 9,000 years ago!
- Now, pumpkins are grown on six continents. The only continent that can't grow pumpkins is Antarctica!
- Native Americans were eating pumpkins for centuries before European colonists arrived. They ate pumpkin seeds, used them as medicine, and made mats from flattened and dried strips of pumpkins.
- Archaeologists have found pumpkin residue among the 800-year-old ruins of the Ancestral Pueblo people.
- A pumpkin is not the same as a Jack-o-Lantern. A pumpkin is only a Jack-o-Lantern once it's carved! Carving pumpkins into Jack-o-Lanterns is a tradition that started hundreds of years ago in Ireland. The Irish used to carve turnips, but when Irish immigrants arrived in North America and found pumpkins aplenty, they began to use those instead.
- Pumpkins were once endorsed as a remedy for freckles and snake bites. As if we need a cure for freckles!
- According to Guinness World Records, Stefano Cutrupi of Italy harvested the heaviest pumpkin on September 26, 2021. His humongous pumpkin weighed over 2,702 pounds.
Anatomy & Etymology
- Why are pumpkins orange? Before a pumpkin matures, it's green in color due to the presence of chlorophyll, a green-pigmented nutrient required for the pumpkin to absorb and use sunlight for energy and food. However, as a pumpkin matures, it develops phytonutrients called "carotenoids," which give a pumpkin its bright orange color.
- The stem of a pumpkin is often referred to as its "handle."
- Thin, hairlike "tendrils" are often attached to the pumpkin's stem. As it grows, the pumpkin's tendrils cling to the vine and are green in color. These tendrils attach to and wind themselves around fences, posts, other plants, and objects on the ground to anchor the vine and protect the plant from the wind.
- Leaves grow on the pumpkin's vine and absorb sunlight to provide energy for the plant and its fruit.
- We collectively refer to the pumpkin's outer skin and inner fruit as the pumpkin's "shell." Ribs are the indentations around the outside of the pumpkin's shell.
- The meat of the pumpkin is called the "pulp," or sometimes affectionately referred to as "pumpkin brains!" Attached to the pulp are lots of pumpkin seeds that can be cleaned, dried, and roasted with salt (delicious!). The inner part of each pumpkin seed contains a nut (technically, the "germ" of the seed), and this is what eventually develops into a new pumpkin.
- The word "pumpkin" originated from the Greek word for "large melon," which is "pepon." The French called it "pompon." The English used "pumpion." And, American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- A pumpkin is used as a vegetable in cooking, but it's actually a fruit! It's a member of the Cucurbita family, which includes squash and cucumbers.
- Pumpkin flowers and seeds are edible.
- Undoubtedly the most popular recipe that uses pumpkins is pumpkin pie. But pumpkin pulp can be used for everything from baked goods to soups to ice cream, pudding, and even beer!
- You can store uncut pumpkins for up to 60 days in a cool, dark place!
Nutrition
- Pumpkins contain potassium, vitamin C, soluble fiber, and beta carotene.
- Vitamin C and beta carotene are two powerful antioxidants that help protect cell membranes and the immune system.
- Potassium is good for circulation and healthy blood pressure, and it's great for bones. It also helps take blood pumped from hearts through arteries and veins to muscles and organs.
- Beta carotene is great for the health of our eyes! The body takes beta carotene and converts it to vitamin A, which our eyes need to stay healthy. When this happens, it signals the immune system to create white blood cells, which help the body fight off infection.
- Soluble fiber is so good for our digestive systems! Fiber also helps slow the absorption of blood sugar into our tissues.
What is Hummus?
- Hummus (HUM-moohs or HUM-muhs) is the Arabic word for "chickpeas." It is a dip or spread made from chickpeas that originated in the Middle East. The first written record we have of hummus is in a 13th-century Syrian cookbook.
- You make classic hummus by boiling dried chickpeas and mashing them with garlic, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds. You can also use canned chickpeas. In the Middle East, they might eat hummus on bread with a meal, dip their pita in it for an appetizer, or serve it with eggplant, falafel, or grilled meat. You can also dip chips into hummus or spread it on crackers or a flatbread, like pita.
Let's Learn About the Middle East!
- The Middle Eastern region sits in Western Asia and includes the following countries: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
- Several bodies of water border some of the countries, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the Red Sea.
- People have lived in the Middle East for thousands of years, and they may speak one of the six major languages: Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, or Turkish. In addition, there are about 20 minority languages in the region. It is common for Middle Eastern people to speak more than one language.
- The total area is 2,782,860 square miles, and the population is over 371 million. Saudi Arabia is the biggest in size, but Egypt has the most people.
- The climate is hot and dry, with little available water beyond several rivers, like the Nile and its delta and the watersheds of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
- Family is very important to the people of the Middle East. Food culture is rich and varied, with many recipes and methods overlapping.
- Middle Eastern art forms are stunning. Think handmade carpets, henna, marbling, glazed tile works, pottery, motifs, and embroidery.
- A typical meal in the Middle East is meat, fish, or stew, and various vegetable dishes or salads. Meals are served with bread or rice and often start with a salad, appetizers, dip-like spreads such as hummus or baba ganoush, pickles, and bowls of olives, dates, and nuts. Middle Eastern meals are feasts!
That's Berry Funny
What is a pumpkin's favorite sport?
Squash! (like racquetball)
Lettuce Joke Around
Why did the rooster blush?
Because it saw a chickpea!
Lettuce Joke Around
What do you call Spiderman after he's eaten hummus?
Pita Parker!
Lettuce Joke Around
Who helps the little pumpkins cross the road to school?
The Crossing Gourd!
Lettuce Joke Around
You can't sing with a mouthful of chickpeas…
…but you can humm-us a tune!
Lettuce Joke Around
If someone asks you to help in their herb garden, …
… you can certainly provide sage advice if you have the thyme.
That's Berry Funny
What is a mother hen’s favorite plant in the garden?
The Chickpea!
