Banana Spiced Hummus

Need something simple, fast, yummy, and most importantly, Fall-themed to bring to Thanksgiving?  Have no fear, this Banana Spiced Hummus has got you covered!

Yes that is a squirrel gingerbread cookie

Wow, this has been a busy week.  And it's only Tuesday.  Can you believe it's almost December?  I already feel like I've passed over Thanksgiving now with my preparations for Christmas.  Hence, my lack of posting new recipes I've made.  Sorry about that - they're in the works!  I hope to soon post the recipes for my creamy spinach shrimp pasta sauce, banana chocolate peanut butter granola, and pumpkin spice pie!  There's a lot of trouble with making up recipes in the dorm, so bear with me as I research and design and test and grocery shop and retest and write out the recipe.  Oh, and study for biology somewhere in there. 

But anyways, I'm not complaining!  Just reflecting on how crazy the holidays are.  Sometimes that calls for a simple recipe.  Easy, delicious, with minimal equipment (just a food processor), traditional enough to be gobbled up at your next event (A.K.A. Thanksgiving), but not so cliche or boring that this is any old hummus recipe!  No, my friends, Banana Soup for the Soul presents to you her Banana Spiced Hummus!

Before you recoil, weird banana-haters, this does not taste like plain banana.  In fact, I debated whether or not to even include that in the title.  Banana just provides more creaminess and a sweet background to compliment the spicy flavors of ginger, garlic, and cumin, and bring out the tang of the tahini and Italian seasoning.  It reminds me somewhat of a gingerbread cookie!  Therefore, it's very seasonal and perfect for Thanksgiving.

Italian seasoning with banana?!  Just how did I come up with this?  This hummus actually represents the banana soup I made all the time my first semester of college!  Sweet and savory and comforting, I discovered that banana and cinnamon pair well with Italian seasoning, garlic, and onion. 

The unique blend of flavors in this hummus means you can use it as a dip for anything you want.  Vegetables, fruit, crackers, and may I suggest gingerbread cookies?

Banana Spiced Hummus

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan

Yield: 1 ¾ cups
Serving size: about ¼ cup
Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas
• ⅓ C tahini
• 1 ripe banana
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt

Directions

1. Drain the can of chickpeas and put the chickpeas into a food processor
2. Add the tahini and banana to the food processer and blend
3. While it’s blending, add in the lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, scraping down edges as needed, until smooth
4. Blend while adding in the spices (italian seasoning, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, nutmeg, and salt), until everything is incorporated and creamy
5. Serve immediately (it will be nice and warm from the food processer!) or store in an airtight container in the fridge and serve cold