Sweet Potato Hummus

This week I was battling what to make as a recipe, when it was under my nose the entire time. I knew we were out of hummus and kept telling myself I needed to make some. We had the left over sweet potato in the fridge that needed to get used. Plus, the spicy jalapeno pepper we acquired from the garden. Finally it hit me, and I quickly whipped this recipe up. It has the perfect sweet, spicy and tangy combination you crave. In addition, it took no more than 20 minutes. Coming from a family that goes through an entire container of hummus in one sitting, we definitely recommend making your own. Most of the time we have everything we need in the cabinets. Some essentials to stock up on: tahini and chickpeas. Generally people have the garlic, lemon, olive oil and spices on hand. That way you can grab your ingredients, blend it up in no time and store in the fridge for later. Make sure to purchase locally grown or organic sweet potatoes. This time of year, they should be plentiful! This is a delightful fall dish with a spicy Mexican twist. For sure one of my favorite uses for the left over sweet potatoes we tend to have in the fridge. Enjoy!

What You’ll Need:

• 1 medium-large sweet potato, skins removed (we used a left over yellow one)
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed well, or about 2 cups dry
• 1 roasted jalapeño, seeds removed
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 heaping tablespoon of tahini
• juice from 1 lemon, discarding seeds
• 2-4 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp onion powder
• a pinch of fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• blue corn tortillas for dipping

What to Do:

1. We used left over sweet potato that were cooked the night before. If using fresh, bake in the oven at 350° for about 30-40 minutes.
2. Roast your jalapeño in the oven at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove the seeds (unless you like it extra spicy)
3. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Taste as you go and add more oil, salt or lemon if needed. We added a bit of water to help it blend instead of adding more oil; sometimes that olive oil flavor can be over powering.
4. Transfer to a bowl, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with your favorite chip. We love warming fresh, organic blue corn tortillas in the oven for about 10 minutes and using those.

Makes about 2 cups of hummus