I will start by saying that I have no shame in the title for this recipe. This is the kind of hummus that makes you want to drop a beat, and do a hummus-dance of happiness. I wasn’t a beet person for a long time – to be honest, I hadn’t tried them more than once. Until I embarked on a journey to clear my chakras, leading me to root chakra based recipes. Foods that help clear your root chakra include red foods, root vegetables, nuts, and pretty much all that good stuff that comes straight out of the Earth. Beets are not only bright red, but they are also a kick-ass root vegetable.
Beets have a very earthy flavor to them, bringing their root vegetable nature out; if you get fresh beets, they even come with a little dirt on them! I recommend getting fresh beets, for this recipe, and in general; much more of the nutrients are still in tact and you can actually eat more than just the beet itself. If you buy fresh beets from the produce section, they will most likely come with the stems, leaves (greens), and roots still attached. You can, and should, eat the stems and leaves!
Not only can you eat the greens of a beet, but it’s actually incredibly good for you. Beet greens have a substantial amount of Vitamin K, A, and C, as well as minerals such as copper, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and calcium. The stems are a great source of antioxidants as well. Both the stems and greens hold a lot of flavor in them, making it a shame for you to throw them away; they also house a lot of that earthy flavor. As such, I used the stems in this recipe to add nutrients and more, quite literally, all natural earthy flavor.
Original Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 beets, peeled and roasted
- The stems of your beets
- I had the stems of 4 beets
- 1 clove of garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Plus a little extra for roasting the beets
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Himalayan pink salt & pepper, to taste
- Dried rosemary to top
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Separate the beets from the stems and greens. Rinse, and peel the beets, then chop them into chunks.
3. Place onto a baking sheet, and toss in olive oil. Roast for about 25 minutes, flipping once, or until beets are tender.
4. While waiting for the beets to roast, prepare your remaining ingredients. Separate the stems from the greens, and keep the greens for a later recipe of your choice – we will only be using the stems. Chop the stems into a few smaller pieces, so the food processor has an easier time.
5. Once the beets are done, remove them from the oven and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Place all ingredients in the food processor, and begin processing. This particular recipe took me about 10 minutes, stopping to mix about 5 times throughout. This will depend of your food processor and the desired consistency you wish to achieve.
7. Once it’s all processed and smooth, serve it up in a bowl with some warm pitas!
