Miss J is proving to be quite the fussy eater at the moment. She loves banana smoothies, but wont go anywhere near an actual banana. Apples and pears are eaten by the bucket load, but grapes and watermelon are nothing short of offensive. Pasta is a firm favourite, as are prawn dumplings (!), but getting her to try new things is generally difficult.
So when she came home from day-care boasting a new love for celery (!) and hummus – well that was a combination I could embrace with gusto!
Since then, I’ve been making a batch of regular ol’ hummus most weeks. Although, recently I thought I would be a little clever and sneak some veg in by adding roasted pumpkin.
Did it work? Not even close. She turned her nose up at the combination, preferring her usual hummus instead.
On the plus side, though, we now had ourselves a lovely recipe for an appetiser to contribute at a recent lunch with friends.
We topped the hummus with parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and olive oil, and served it alongside toasted pita chips, cucumber and olives. Unlike Miss J, we loved the roasted pumpkin addition – and the chilli added a little extra zing!
But I guess it will be back to regular ol’ hummus for Miss J next week…
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 butternut pumpkin peeled and cubed
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 400 g tinned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3 tbs tahini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbs water (as needed)
- Chopped parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and olive oil (to serve)
Ingredients
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|
- Preheat the oven to 220C.
- Place the cubed pumpkin on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place the pumpkin, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, salt and chilli in a food processor - and process until smooth. Add water, as necessary, to reach desired consistency.
- Spoon into a serving bowl, and top with parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and a little drizzle of olive oil.
I’m all for a little indulgence, albeit in moderation. And what could be more indulgent that a chocolate / nut / berry combination – in the form of a homemade brownie. Inspired by a recipe I came across in 
Filled to the absolute brim with dark chocolate, pistachios and raspberries, they were far from “healthy”, but ticked all the boxes when it came to satisfying my sweet tooth. The raspberries added a nice touch of tartness too, meaning the end result was not sickly sweet, while the pistachios gave the slices a little texture.
So, if you are looking to satisfy a craving for sweets, may I suggest you make a batch of these! Be warned, though, they were hard to stop at just one piece…