What’s Orange and Black and…

Posted by Lauren

Trivia time! What’s Orange and Black and ridiculously amazing??

Yes, the SF Giants! They won, they won, they won!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pablo made history with his three home runs – I hope it can only get better as the series progresses!

But that’s not the Orange and Black answer I’m looking for …I set you up with a trick question, sorry.

Halloween Pumpkin and Black Bean Hummus

The perfect addition to any snack table at a Halloween party, this pumpkin and black bean hummus recipe blends savory garlic, cayenne, and ginger flavors with Fall’s favorite ingredient – pumpkin!

The idea to play black on orange came to me while on a run and I couldn’t wait to make this for last weekend’s Halloween dinner party. Everyone loved it – best with oven-fresh baked pita chips and a scoop of both dips!

Base Hummus
(Used this recipe as my base)

- 16 ounces garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid!) and rinsed
- 1/4 cup liquid from the can of garbanzo beans
- Juice from 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Drain garbanzo beans and set aside the liquid from the can.
2. Combine garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, salt, and olive oil in a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from garbanzo beans. Blend for 3 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
3. Remove half of the hummus from the food processor and set aside… time to spice up the base hummus!

Pumpkin Hummus

- 2 cups pumpkin purée
- 2 teaspoons each of: garlic powder, ground ginger, ground cumin, cayenne pepper
- if needed, 1-2 tablespoons liquid from can of garbanzo beans

1. To the half of the Base Hummus still in the food processor, add 2 cups of pumpkin purée and the spices. Blend for 3 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
2. If needed, add in a little liquid from the can of garbanzo beans and blend until it reaches desired consistency.
3. Scoop the pumpkin hummus out of the food processor and set aside.

Black Bean Hummus

- 10 ounces black beans, drained (reserve liquid!) and rinsed
- 1/4 cup liquid from the can of black beans
- 2 teaspoons each of: garlic powder, ground ginger, ground cumin, cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili oil (optional)

1. To the now empty food processor, add the other half of the Base Hummus.
2. Add the black beans, spices, and chili oil. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from garbanzo beans. Blend for 3 minutes until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
3. Scoop the black bean hummus out of the food processor and set next to the pumpkin hummus for a festive dip duo!

I sprinkled the top of the black bean hummus with black pepper and the top of the pumpkin hummus with cayenne pepper to jazz it up. Make sure to add the small amount of chili oil in the black bean hummus! Not optional :)

Now, back to the OTHER Orange and Black….

Week 4 of my 12-week workout plan is underway!

Sweet Spot: Wednesday’s track intervals! This week I went back to the 400m sprint + 400m jog, a welcome change after the 1000s and 600s of the past few weeks. Also, Tuesday’s recovery run went surprisingly well – no more tight hamstrings and glutes :)

Giants Gym Entertainment

Sticky Spot: Waking up early enough to go to the gym before work. I keep trying every day and failing miserably. More on that issue later…

Question: What is the most unusual hummus you’ve ever heard of or tried? There’s a hummus shop in Palo Alto that mixes Moroccan-spiced ground beef into their hummus – I want to try it! Who are you rooting for in the World Series? Or are you boycotting/disinterested in the outcome?

-Lauren