Roast Pumpkin Hummus.

Hummus is a great food for pregnancy. It is high in plant protein, folate, calcium, iron and natural fats. It is also rich in prebiotics (due to the raw garlic) and plant fibres, making it great for your gut microbiome. Lately, due to an excess in our garden, we have been making roast pumpkin hummus. It is a wonderful twist on the classic version.

What to do with your hummus - scoop it on top of salads, spread it on a wrap or toast, dip some carrot sticks into it or just eat it from the bowl! If your suffering from morning sickness, try it on some plain crackers (this was my go to in my first trimester).

- Renee

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, halved

1 cup roast pumpkin

1 x 400g tin chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)

2 tablespoons tahini

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Ground salt to taste

Water to thin if required

Method

Add the garlic, pumpkin, chickpeas, tahini, juice, cumin, olive oil and salt to the food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust for salt and add a splash of water if your hummus is too thick. Blend again until smooth and creamy.

Notes:

If you are cooking your chickpeas from scratch, make sure you soak them first in salted water for 12-24 hours. This will degrade the anti-nutrients, making the iron and calcium in the chickpeas more easily absorbed by your body.

You can also use sauerkraut juice to thin your hummus. This will make it rich in probiotics!