Susanne is back! Suzanne is the chef at Mary Johnson Children Center in Middlebury and we can personally attest to her remarkable ability to engage children in all aspects of food making and eating. Today she’s sharing an easy, kid tested – parent approved recipe for sweet potato hummus. This delicious hummus is a great dip for veggies, chips, toast or even spread on a sandwich. Enjoy!

P.S. Look for Susanne’s tips on eating family style meals later this week.

Sweet Potato Hummus

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 24 ounces or 3 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed (since most cans are now various sizes instead of full 8 oz. or 16 oz. amounts) rinsed
• ½ of a sweet red pepper (save extra pepper to serve with hummus later)
• 2-3 cloves garlic or more if you like garlic a lot
• ½-1 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Bake two medium sweet potatoes in their skins.  Either in a regular oven at 375 for 45 minutes or until softened, or use a microwave, which takes about 7-8  minutes to bake until softened.  If you are planning to bake sweet potatoes for another meal, throw in a couple of extra to have on hand for making hummus.

Peel the garlic cloves.  In a food processor chop the garlic cloves until finely minced.  Then add about a half of a red pepper (or any color pepper you have on hand) to the processor, pulse briefly (not too long or the pepper will turn to mush).  Slice the cooked sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the orange insides into the food processor.  Add the lemon juice and olive oil.  Blend until smooth.  Now add the garbanzo beans one can at a time, blending until smooth.  You may need to add a bit more olive oil with each additional can to lubricate the mix.  You can also leave a few lumps in at the end if you don’t mind a few beans throughout.  Add the lemon juice, salt and herbs at the end.  Blend one more time briefly.  Add more or less seasonings to your taste.  Use a spatula to scoop hummus into a serving bowl.  Eat right away or refrigerate for later.  In a sealed container the hummus will keep about 7 days in the refrigerator.

** If you do not have a food processor, a blender will work too. First, you can hand chop the garlic, red pepper and parsley or cilantro with a chef’s knife and cutting board.  Slice the baked sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the orange insides into the blender.  Then blend the sweet potatoes with the lemon juice and olive oil to get them smooth. You may need to stir them with a spatula or wooden spoon.  Add a bit more olive oil if they are getting stuck. Add the garbanzos one can at a time. You may only be able to fit two cans into the blender, that’s ok! You will just have more sweet potatoe-y-ness in your hummus. You can add a bit more oil if needed. After the garbanzos are smooth; use a spatula to scoop the mix into a bowl and add in the chopped ingredients and seasonings. Add more or less seasonings to your taste.