Sweet Potato Hummus

I was inspired to make a sweet potato hummus after seeing it listed on Oprah's website under the category: superfoods! I couldn't bring myself to make the recipe listed there however because I could not handle the thought of 1/2 cup of oil added to 2-1/2 cups of finished product. I personally think that kinda of defeats the purpose...I think even my 2 tablespoons is a bit on the high side as I know you can make it without any oil whatsoever and it still tastes fine. So feel free to eliminate the oil from this recipe. I also really love the taste of the traditional use of tahini in hummus recipes and therefore I do use it and I couldn't believe it wasn't included in the superfood recipe that Oprah listed. After all tahini is a great fat full of beneficial calcium. We really should send her an improved recipe. This is a great recipe for kids as they generally love the taste of sweet potatoes. I remember my nephew Aaron, as a toddler,  was a picky little eater but he would always always eat sweet potatoes! My 2 year-old grandson Nico confirms this to be so, as well, as he was eating this by the spoonful right after I made it. For an excellent reference with respect to "everything you ever wanted to know about sweet potatoes" check out this website! Did you know you could bake several at once and they stay good in the fridge for 7-10 days?  How handy is that?  Did you know that you can make an attractive houseplant from a sweet potato?  All that information and much more is on the above listed website. Do give it a quick read through.


Ingredients
1 can (regular size) of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 sweet potato (roasted)
1 tsp. garlic/parsley powder (or head of garlic roasted along with sweet potato)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tablespoon paul bragg
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tbsp. tahini
2 tbsp. olive oil
2-4 tbsp. original flavor soy milk

To roast your sweet potato -- scrub it, rub it with margarine, prick it with a fork and place on a wire rack inside a ovenproof dish (I put it on a wire rack so that it doesn't get burn marks as that sometimes happens if you place it directly onto your dish).  You can probably pick up cheap, small wire racks suitable for this purpose at your local dollar store. I bent mine to fit the dish I use when roasting vegetables and save it just for that purpose.  Bake at 425F oven for about 45-55 minutes depending on size.  Cool, peel and you now have lots of sweet potato for your hummus recipe.  Eat a little if you like -- it's delicious right out of  the oven exactly as it is. And considering how long it stays good in the fridge (and freezes) bake up a couple of extra while you're at it. I would also suggest roasting a head or two of garlic along with your sweet potato to use in the above recipe in place of the garlic powder if you have extra garlic bulbs on hand.  When you're not able to use fresh garlic I suggest that you use a very good brand of garlic powder like the organic Morton & Bassett as their quality is outstanding.  The difference is definitely noticeable!

Now just put your roasted  hummus and all the rest of your ingredients into a food processor or Vita-Mix and process  using as much of the 2-4 tbsp. soy milk as required until it's the consistency you like. I use soy milk as I always have it readily on hand but you could subsitute vegetable broth if you like. Throw in some extra pepper or cayenne if you like things spicy.  Enjoy with whatever you deem fit (I'm thinking of making some homemade fries to dip in it)!