Fiber Fool

I think sweet pumpkin things brought me to my pumpkin obsession, but I’ve not limited myself to such. Thank goodness or my new wellness campaign would be certain to fail from mid-September through December!

After last week’s fantastic pumpkin soup which we miraculously ate up without it going bad and my success at mixing up the leftovers towards the end with the addition of white beans and chipotle powder it struck me to try make a hummus-like dip with pumpkin, white beans and taco seasoning! The result was a huge hit at knitting on Monday night. We went through half a batch in a blink of the eye and we were only 6 (counting DH, though he wasn’t knitting).

There were several comments along the lines of “I hope you took good notes!” I smiled and reassured them I’d be posting the recipe today. Because I was a total nutter on Monday morning and despite more cleaning and cooking being required, I dirtied the vast majority of our tablespoons just for the sake of the photo below. Thank goodness I had the forethought to use tablespoons rather than teaspoons!

It is a pretty easy recipe requiring only 9 ingredients (I forgot the garlic for the photo) - white beans, pumpkin puree, garlic, tahini (or peanut butter), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, taco seasoning, red bell pepper and scallions. I used McCormick’s Spicy Taco Seasoning because that is what we tend to keep in the cupboard. It would be a tad more healthful if you made your own so you controlled the salt. I just added no salt beyond what was in the seasoning packet and it seemed fine to me despite my being more sensitive since my dietary changes.

Put everything but the oil, vinegar, pepper and onions into the bowl of a food processor and process until nearly smooth.

Add the oil and vinegar and continue to process until smooth and creamy.

And finger dipping good…

Move contents to a bowl, and stir in finely chopped red pepper and scallions until even distributed. You can reserve a bit for garnishing the top. If serving at a party I especially like to do that as it gives people somewhat of a clue about the ingredients.

It was served on Monday with fresh cut veggies - carrots, celery, red pepper, and cucumber as well as Flamous Falafel Chips which are fantastic and paired especially well with the dip. Regular tortilla chips would work too.

I think this dip would make a fantastic contribution to Halloween parties, but would be equally welcomed at weekend football watching gatherings. Of course, it has already been tested at knitting nights and it is a hit :-) The recipe is below.

Mexican Pumpkin & White Bean Dip

makes 3 1/2 - 4 cups of dip

Ingredients:

• 1 - 14 oz can white kidney or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well (or about 1 cup dry cooked and cooled)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini or peanut butter
• 1 packet McCormick’s Spicy Taco Seasoning or similar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper finely diced
• 3 scallions sliced fine

1. Place beans, pumpkin, garlic, tahini and seasoning in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to begin, then let process until nearly smooth.
2. Slowly add vinegar and oil while the processor runs if possible. Process until smooth. Move contents to a medium bowl.
3. Add bell pepper and scallions and stir until incorporated evenly.
4. Chill at least 4 hours. Serve with crudite and chips.

Nutrition Info per 2 Tablespoons Approx: 41 calories, 1.8 g fat (0.2 sat), 5.4 g carbs, 1.5 g fiber, 1.1 g sugar, 1.4 g protein.

If it is too spicy for your tastes the first thing to do would be to not use spicy taco seasoning. But I think the dip could stand up to more pumpkin or the addition of 1/2 cup of low fat green yogurt. That said, there are a few sensitive palettes in my knitting group and I offered some Greek yogurt for them to mix in on their plate and no one took me up on the offer. I do find the chilling tempers the heat a bit as the spices marry into pumpkin and white beans.

If you wanted more heat you could certainly add in finely diced jalapeno or serrano peppers, shoot if you are daring I suppose habanero would work as well. It be as easily spiced up individually on plates with Tabasco, Cholula or any favorite pepper sauce.