If you are looking for a light, healthy appetizer to brighten your Sukkot table, this sweet potato hummus is bursting with flavor. Because of its high protein and fiber content, it will help control your appetite and mood. My 450-pound ad man dad named it the caviar of hummus — exclaiming that it was almost illegal for something so nutritious to be this delicious. “All the ‘gusto’ without all the Jewish guilt,” my dad complimented, paraphrasing his award-winning slogan for Schlitz Beer and my 11-year-old, culinary skills.
While my dad spent his days cooking up great marketing campaigns, I spent my time after school reading recipes and exploring the many ethnic food markets in Manhattan — finding tasty ways to please my dad’s palate, while helping him to conquer his struggle with obesity.
This easy-to-prepare delicacy has survived my dad’s many fad diets— Atkins, Weight Watchers, I Prayed Myself Slim— and was a staple in his 200-pound weight loss.
Recipe reprinted with permission from My Fat Dad, A Memoir, of Food Love and Family with Recipes by Dawn Lerman
Ingredients
1 large sweet potato (about 9 oz)
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 Tbsp olive oil (plus additional, as needed, for thinning)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Directions
Position the baking rack in the middle and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake in a shallow baking pan until it can be easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the potato to cool completely.
Peel the skin off the sweet potato and transfer to a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and nutmeg, and process until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add a little extra olive oil or water and process until the desired consistency is reached.
