I love this Butternut Squash Dip, especially during summertime, because it’s fresh, light enough and so good with fresh cut veggies. It’s the perfect snack, or light lunch with your favorite protein, and it’s a great dip to bring at a BBQ or for a picnic.
Tools
- Small frying pan
- Baking sheet
- Blender
- Grinder
Ingredients
- 1 large Butternut Squash (mine was about 1,6 Kg)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 6 cm piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
- 6 tbsp Olive oil, divided
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 1 cup of nuts or seeds of your choice (*soak the nuts the night before, discard the water, and rinse well) – I use cashews for this recipe
- Juice of 1 lemon
-
Sea salt & pepper
Spice Blend (Ras El Hanout)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tbsp. fenugreek seeds
- ½ tbsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- ½ tbsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp paprika
1. Make spice blend. Break cinnamon in pieces, and place in a dry pan with the cloves and seeds. Toast spice blend over medium heat for about 1 minute, while constantly shaking the spices in the pan so they don’t burn. Once toasted, remove from the heat, and add the paprika.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
3. Cut both ends of the squash, and peel it. Remove the seeds from the squash, cut it in large cubes, and place it in a large bowl.
4. Peel, and cut the ginger in fine pieces. Smash the garlic cloves keeping the skins on and put the ginger and garlic in the bowl.
5. Place the spice blend in a grinder, blender or mortar, and grind until the mixture is a powder. The leftover blend can be store in an airtight container, and will keep for up to 3-4 months.
6. Add 2 tbsp of the spice blend in the bowl with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add sea salt and pepper, and mix together to cover all the squash.
7. Put the squash mix in a single layer on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until the squash is cooked all the way through.
8. Once the squash is soft, discard the garlic skins, and add all the content of the baking sheet to a blender. Add the juice of a lemon, tahini, and cashews, with 4 tbsp of olive oil. Blend until smooth.
9. Transfer the hummus in a large bowl, and enjoy with some veggies or your favourite chips.
Yields approximately 8 cups of dip.
Awesome Tips
- Divide the dip in small containers, and freeze for later. Blend with a little bit of olive oil once it’s thawed to give it the right texture.
- Remove the spice blend for a plain version of this dip.
- Add in cooked red peppers, zucchinis and/or cauliflower with the butternut squash mix for a veggie dip.
- Use a basic coffee grinder to grind spices (mine is from Loblaws). It will save you time and give extra flavour to your meals!
Dr. Stephanie Deschenes is a compassionate Chiropractor, speaker and consumer of all things health, nutrition and fitness. While watching her family’s health deteriorate in her teens, she decided that wasn’t going to be her future and set out to learn exactly what is required to be truly healthy. This passion led her to Chiropractic and ultimately to establishing her practice at The Wellness Group in Kanata, ON. She loves working with families, with a special focus on helping moms understand how simple it is to get the health they’ve always wanted for themselves and their families. Drawing from her own experience overcoming health challenges and her thirst for knowledge, Dr. Deschenes is the perfect fit to help transform your health from the inside out.
