Mindful Eating: DIY Seasonal Hummus Recipes

Our gatherings may be smaller this season, but planning what will be on the menu can still be somewhat stressful and confusing if we don't approach it with mindfulness. Let me help you with something easy that's simple, delicious, and never disappoints -- hummus.

Hummus is a healthy dip for fresh, raw veggies, crackers, and can even be a great companion for a dollop of flavor on your meal. You can feel good about serving hummus because it's packed with protein, fiber, and antioxidants, and with how versatile it is, it leaves you with many options.

Before you swing by the store and grab it ready-made, you may want to think about making your own hummus to impress everyone at the table. Hummus might seem exotic, but it requires very little work. In its most basic form, hummus uses chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. How you season it from there varies, but there is great potential to go beyond basic hummus and get even more creative.

A way to experiment with this is by creating a hummus bar at your next gathering or even a hummus tasting plate with several varieties of hummus to enjoy. Want to make hummus that's unique for fall and winter flavors? Try these ideas.

- Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus

This one will take a little more time, but it's so worth it. You'll need to roast your butternut squash and some garlic first. Then you can add them to your food processor with fresh minced garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, parsley, and salt and pepper. To give this a more wintery feel, add cinnamon and cumin. Finish with a touch of smoked paprika.

- Savory Pumpkin Hummus

Another one that will require some oven-roasting first is pumpkin hummus. Once the pumpkin has been roasted, you'll add it to your food processor with chickpeas, minced garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, ground cumin, salt, and a little water to get it into a nice, creamy texture. Toasted pumpkin seeds make a perfect garnish.

- Beet Hummus

Beets are so bright and cheery, perfect for that red holiday look. You can roast them yourself or buy them ready to go. Add the beets, garlic, olive oil, chickpeas, lemon juice, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of water to even out the texture. With some roasted almonds and fresh rosemary sprigs, it will have that wow-factor on your table.

- Sweet Potato Hummus

Try a savory spin on your sweet potatoes for a winning snack treat this holiday season. You can even cheat by using your microwave for cooking your sweet potato. Once it's ready, blend it with your can of chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, a chipotle pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of water for that creamy texture. Drizzle olive oil on top before serving, and it's ready to be enjoyed.

You can also make regular hummus to contrast with these flavors and see which one everyone gobbles up the fastest. Serving any of these with fresh veggies such as carrots, celery, bell pepper, jicama, broccoli, or snow peas is a fantastic way to get healthy veggies on the table people easily will be excited to pile on their plates.

Enjoy! Using all of your senses can make even a simple side like hummus a mindful eating experience! Let me know if you try these and what you think!