I am sorry but this post will be anything but witty and charming... I think I have lost a bit of my groove today so it will be simply and straight forward with lots of pictures and not many words! :-)

As promised last week when I posted the Moroccan Quinoa Cakes here is the recipe for the Roast Pumpkin Hummus to accompany it.

It is a very simply hummus to make and it totally adds a new dimension to the Quinoa Cakes... or to anything as a matter of fact. I just love it with carrot or celery sticks as an afternoon snack or dolloped on top of a salad.

It would also make a great dip for a party alongside some jatz or dolloped on top of some crusty bread. It's a little bit moreish and it hard to try stopping at one dip... I know I couldn't! You know what the best thing about this dip is? It's preservative free, gluten free and dairy free and it's totally good for you... AND it taste's good.

Roast Pumpkin Hummus

{Download & Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup diced pumpkin, skin removed

1 Tbsp olive oil *for roasting

400g tin chickpeas, drained

2 x cloves of garlic, finely diced

¼ red onion, finely diced

1 ½ tsp cumin, ground

2 tsp coriander, ground

¾ tsp turmeric

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger, ground

1/8 tsp chilli *optional

½ cup vegetable stock

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp olive oil

¼ - ½ lemon, juiced

2 Tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and place pumpkin on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and place in a bowl to cool in the fridge.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan place the garlic and onion with a little bit of olive oil and sauté until al dente. Add the spices and cook stirring for 1 minute or until the spices become fragrant. Remove from heat and place into a food processor or blender.

Add the chickpeas, honey, vegetable stock, olive oil, and cooled pumpkin into the processor or blender and mix for 1 -2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon juice to taste, coriander and season with salt and pepper.

Blend for a further 30 seconds to combine. Serve with carrot & celery sticks or over Moroccan Quinoa Cakes.