Sweet Potato Curry Hummus

So, Kara discovered some delicious Sweet Potato Curry Hummus one day at Earth Fare, and decided to tell the world how awesome it was. It was so good that she decided she needed to make her own version. Me? I’m totally cool with that. Sadly, it’s all gone now because we horked it all down pretty quick. Needless to say, it was delicious and addicting – like crack. We just couldn’t stop eating it.

Hummus is one of those big pay off recipes – it’s so easy to slam together, but tastes so flavorful. Once you learn how, the possibilities are endless. You can throw just about anything in a basic master hummus recipe to suit your tastes. And quite frankly, it’s a fairly healthy snack. Chickpeas are incredibly high in protein and fiber – one cup boasts 15g protein and 13g of fiber. Additionally, chickpeas contain vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, choline and selenium, and also contain exceptional levels of iron, vitamin B-6 and magnesium. That’s a pretty super food!

There is a trick we learned to making the creamiest possible hummus (something that seems like an elusive dream for homemade versions of hummus) – the best thing to do is to use dried chickpeas, let them soak overnight and then cook them so that the peel comes away. But if you are like us and don’t have the patience or foresight to think that far in advance because you just can’t wait that long for yummy hummus and want to used canned chickpeas, well then those will work just fine. The trick to using canned chickpeas is to peel the skin before blending them up. Rinse them with water and shake them around in a colander, this helps to loosen the skin, then pinch the bean between your thumb and pointer finger – the skin should easily pull away.

For today’s version, we’re going with a yammy version filled with Indian spices of curry and tumeric. You’ll need to bake a whole large sweet potato first. It’ll need to roast for about an hour in a 400 degree oven, until it’s soft and the skin begins to pull away. Then it’s as simple as throwing everything into a food processor and blend until smooth. So easy!

The beauty of hummus is its versatility. We dip raw veggies in there, crackers, toasted bread, etc. We are never without some sort of hummus in our house because it’s a snacking favorite. Filling & healthy!