Friday, December 19, 2008

A Trio of Hummus Recipes

Party time tomorrow night. I was wondering what I could bring to share with our neighborhood friends and realized I was still thinking about Beet Pesto, a delicious dish I had to eat last week at our Michigan Lady Food Bloggers cookie exchange. I have a recipe for Beetroot Hummus and beets still ready to use from our Thanksgiving CSA share from Tantre Farm. In addition, I have a recipe for Carrot Dip and carrots still ready to use from our CSA share. Light bulb moment! These recipes are easy, beautiful, and delicious. I'll make my typical hummus also for a real feast for the eyes and tummy. Thus a trio of hummus recipes it is.

The first two recipes both have a root vegetable base instead of garbanzo beans, a beautiful and healthful way to incorporate more veggies into your diet. The Beetroot Hummus and Carrot Dip recipes were graciously shared by Chef Sue Bender, owner of Rocksalt Restaurant in Orewa, New Zealand, where my husband and I had a lovely meal in 2003. We licked the platter clean when first served the beetroot hummus as an appetizer (called an entreƩ or starter in New Zealand). Our waitstaff was so surprised that she asked if we would like to sample another variety of hummus being made for tomorrow's menu and brought us the carrot dip. By the time she was back to ask how we liked that one, our dish was again licked clean! :-) Both the carrot dip and beetroot hummus recipes are very different, but both are simply delicious. They will look beautiful on a buffet table served with cut up vegetables, small whole wheat pita, or crackers. Enjoy, enjoy. I should have taken a photograph of my red finger from licking the food processor clean after making the beetroot hummus today! It is that good. :-)

Carrot Dip

2-1/2 # carrots, peeled and chopped in 1-2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. whole cumin
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
small amount of salt and pepper

Directions:

Roast in oven at 350 degrees all above together until caramelized and soft.
Then puree in food processor or blender with the following:
2-3 Tbsp. fresh gingerroot, grated
1-1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup water (add slowly, adjusting to reach consistency desired)
Makes ~ 3 cups. Allow to set several hours for flavors to blend.


Beetroot Hummus

2 pounds beetroot - wash well, cut off tops and small root (I only had ~1/2# of beets so I scaled back this recipe proportionately)

Directions:

Roast in oven at 350 degrees with 1 Tbsp. brown sugar until able to be pierced through with a fork. Cool.
Puree in blender or food processor with the following:
(you may wish to first slip the skins, but I didn't bother since the beets were well washed)

1-1/2 Tbsp. tahini
1 medium clove raw garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. water (adjust, adding more or less to reach desired consistency)
Makes ~ 2 cups

Lastly, I have included my trusty recipe for hummus that is on my website. It is one of the most frequently visited pages on my website, so I thought I should include it on my blog, too. Although making hummus at home is much cheaper than store-bought, hummus can be found in most grocery stores now in the deli section, which is an easy way to first try it. In addition, I often purchase it pre-made when traveling. There are many varieties. It is a very healthful alternative to most other spreads and dips. To make it at home, follow the basic recipe that follows and then make your own variations.

Hummus (Standard recipe)

2 - 15 oz. cans of drained garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is best, but bottled will work okay)
2 - 3 cloves of fresh garlic
3 Tbsp. Tahini (ground sesame seeds - found in all health food stores or in the health food section of your grocery store)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
dash of salt
Directions:

Put all ingredients in your food processor or blender. Process until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary.
Many variations can be made on the basic recipe. After the garbanzos are smooth, use a wooden spoon to mix in chopped chives, chopped sweet or roasted red peppers, or chopped spinach. Be creative. This recipe (using 2 - 15 oz. cans of hummus) make a lot. If this is your first time making it, try cutting the recipe in half.

I use hummus as a spread on all of my sandwiches, on bagels in place of cream cheese, on baked potatoes instead of butter or margarine, as a dip with vegetables, and even instead of mayo when making salmon salad. The possibilities are endless. Sometimes I even just eat it with a spoon (yes I do!). :-) It is not an exaggeration to say that I eat hummus almost everyday and never, never, never get tired of it.

I'll put these three different types of hummus on a large tray with a variety of dippers and some fresh herb sprigs for color. I don't expect much to be remaining after the party. And if there is, so much the better for me as I'll enjoy eating all of these varieties of hummus the coming week.

Healthy foods, good friends, life is good. (I love those t-shirts, hats, etc!) In fact I have a "life is good" t-shirt that shows a dog in snow with a frisbee. Well, I happen to have a photo taken today of exactly that! So please indulge me - here's Kaya saying "What lame leg? You're the one who is so slow. I'm sure I'm part Husky! I LOVE the snow, let's GO!" Yes, life is good, especially when your dog (in spite of her lame leg) is a poet!

Diana Dyer, MS, RD

4 comments:

Jen said...

These look gorgeous, Diana! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

The recipe almost comes full circle, Adelaide Australia so not quite NZ but close enough! We will try these on our Xmas boat trip up the River Murray! Thanks for a great site... Ian

Shayne said...

as you knwo my son loves hummus but I don't think I coudl get him to try red hummus but once in a while I can the kids to eat pickled beets. Right now the veggie of choice is peas.

Heather said...

I had a hummus challenge last summer and Lime Cilantro won hands down. Will have to add these to the mix next summer. Thanks. Will let you know how it goes.