Sweet Potato Hummus

A few weeks ago I made a sweet potato hummus that blew my taste buds away. It was so creamy and delicious I just had to share it with all of you. The thing I love about this recipe is that by altering the spice you can create all sorts of different palate pleasing options. I made the recipe using curry powder but I think using cinnamon and a tad bit of something to sweeten it (maple syrup, coconut sugar, date paste, etc) would be delicious as well. Or you could go all Mexican on it by using cumin and a little chili powder.

Sweet Potato Hummus (adapted from Choosing Raw)
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato - cooked, skin removed, and cubed
2 cups chickpeas (or white beans which will give it a smoother texture, this is what I used)
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil - can substitute with a different oil based on the taste profile you are going for
1/4 cup tahini paste
1 tsp curry powder (sub cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, the possibilities are endless)
salt and pepper to taste


1) Place sweet potatoes in the processor.
2) Optional step: warm up your beans. This really isn’t necessary for great hummus, but guess what? It’s a really, really good trick of the trade. Either microwave your chickpeas for 1 minute (OK, for the record, I don’t much like microwave cooking, but I don’t think it’s going to murder any of us if we do it once upon a hummus), or pour the chickpeas and their canning liquid into a little saucepot and get them warm. Drain them after, but reserve the liquid. That’s it — not a lot of effort for a step that will really improve your hummus.
3) Place chickpeas (warm or not) into the processor along with the sesame oil, tahini, curry, salt and pepper. Run the processor. Take 1/2 cup (this should be all that’s left) of the canning liquid from the beans (it’s got starch in it, which will help make the hummus super delicious) and drizzle it into the processor to help create the perfect texture.
If you run out of liquid but the hummus needs to be thinner (this, by the way, should happen — all in all, I needed about 3/4 c. liquid for my batch) start drizzling in regular old water. Stop now and then to scrape the bowl. When the consistency is even, smooth, and thick but not pasty, you’re done.
4) Sprinkle hummus with paprika, and serve. 

I served these with celery and broccoli but pita bread would be an excellent choice as well. Definitely filling enough for a whole meal or quite the appetizer at your next party.