I always end up with a lot of leftover pumpkins towards the end of the year and this year was no different.  So when I was trying to figure out what to make for my office pot luck, I knew it’d be something “pumpkiny”.  I wanted to make something quick and easy and festive… AND something that everyone would love.  I ended up with hummus with a “pumpkiny” twist… 🙂 🙂

I love anything sweet and savory.  Maybe that’s my Gemini side, the double personality, but I just love the combination of those two flavors.  Making a recipe with the perfect balance of these two is tricky, but once you’ve got the right balance of sweet and savory… it is tantalizing.

For this recipe, I added sugar pumpkin to some savory hummus.  Pumpkin and sage kinda goes hand in hand, so I just browned some sage in butter and crumbled it in there.  It really does take it to another level.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (15 oz), rinsed and drained
• 2/3 cup of roasted pumpkin (you can use canned pie filling)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of tahini paste
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 7-8 sage leaves (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of butter (optional)

Instructions:

• Simmer the garlic in some olive oil, on the lowest heat, until lightly browned.  Once browned, set aside and let it cool.
• Put chickpeas, pumpkin, sautéed garlic, tahini, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until well combined, about 10-15 pulses.
• While the processor is running, stream in the olive oil.  Run the processor until everything is pureed.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• In a small saucepan, brown 1 tablespoon butter and fry the sage leaves.  About 2-3 minutes, DO NOT let the sage turn too dark, you just want to let them crisp up.
• Crumble the fried sage on top of the hummus and BAM!
• Serve with some warm pita wedges or pita chips.

**Note: This is a great make ahead recipe.  You can store this hummous for up to a week.