Its that time of year again when both the deciduous trees drop their leaves and the temperature gets closer to zero. It is my favourite time to brighten up my meals with colourful foods that I find bring cheer on cold fall days. One of my favourite things to incorporate into snack or meal time is Beet Hummus.
Honestly though, how can you not… it taste great, it is nutrient dense and has the most cheerful fuchsia colour that brightens up any meal.
When choosing beets at the farmers market, I suggest to pick younger and smaller beets as they seem to have a softer skin so there is no need to peel. If you are purchasing the beets at the supermarket I would choose younger and smaller beets but still peel them to remove any residing surface pesticides. If you are able to pick beets with the greens still attached use the beet greens for another meal. Beet greens are great side when steamed with butter or incorporated into a stir-fry.
What nutrients you ask? Well, Beets are loaded with phytonutrients which have been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support to the body. Beets don’t only have an abundance of phytonutrients they also contain an excellent amount of folate, manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.
If you are a food nerd like I am then you will think it is so cool that when most red vegetables get their colouring from anthocyanin antioxidant pigments, beets get their uniqueness from betalain antioxidant pigments. Mixed with the antioxidant manganese and good source of vitamin C, Beets provide a type of antioxidant support in a different way than another antioxidant-rich vegetable you can eat.
To preserve these antioxidants from damage while cooking, it is important cook for the least amount of time possible of a low temperature. This quick and easy recipe takes less than 5 minutes….
Once the beets are roasted or steamed!
For beets I suggest at 375℃ for 30-40 minutes, or steam for 15 minutes maximum.
When the Beets are cooking, time is best used to cut up veggies for dipping, maybe do a little kitchen yoga or work on your deep breathing.
There are no macronutrients that are more important for blood sugar balancing than fiber and protein. They help stabilize the passing of food through our digestive tract and prevent digestion from taking place too quickly or too slowly. When food passes through us at a healthy rate, both added sugars and natural sugars are usually regulated into the blood stream at a slower rate.
Between 65-75% of the fiber found in garbonzo bean is insoluble fiber, and this type of fiber slows down digestion and remains undigested throughout the digestive tract. The healthy bacteria in our colon breaks down the insoluble fiber into compounds called short chain fatty acids (SCFA). The cell wall that lines the colon uses SCFA’s as its preferable energy source, which keeps the colon walls healthy and active.
Along with their unique combination of protein and fibre, chickpeas are approximately 270 calories per cup. In 1 cup there is 50% of the daily value for fiber and 29% of the daily value for protein making hummus a healthy nutrient dense snack or dressing for someone struggling with hunger or looking to achieve weight loss.
Beet Hummus Recipe
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Total time 55 minutes
By Georgina Hendsbee
Ingredients:
3 small/medium sized beets, scrubbed clean, roasted, peeled
1- 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
5 tbsp lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
cayenne, black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions:
Roasting beets
Preheat oven to 450℃
Wash beets and trim the leaves/stem back (leaving an inch or two) if your beet has any. Don’t trim the tail as you’ll lose juice and flavour while roasting. Place beets in roasting pan and drizzle with your favourite cooking oil*
OR
Steaming beets
Add 1” of water to a large pot and bring to a boil
Wash beets and cut off the leaves/stem if your beet has any and trim the tail. Quarter the beets and place in steamer basket over the pot and cover for about 10 minutes or until beet can be pierced with a fork.
Once its done cooking and has cooled, blend all the ingredients together. I use a Ninja blender, but you can use anything that processes food. My Ninja usually can’t handle the amounts I make so I just fit what I can blend until smooth then pour it all into a glass bowl and repeat. Once its all been blended I mix it all together in the bowl with a spatula, plate and serve.
Voila, you are done now go, eat it and enjoy!
Tips for storage
Homemade hummus is great fresh and it will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. It freezes well and will last for about 6-8 months if sealed in an airtight container. I generally freeze some in glass mason jars either the 4 oz or 8oz jars, but you can also use any plastic container. Any left over uncooked beets can be stored in the fridge. Remove and use the beet greens as soon as possible, while the beets
Something we hear often but may not be taking into consideration when preparing our meals is that our food today is not the same as it was 40 years ago.
Top soil, the soil in which we grow food is not a renewable resource and there is only so much land we can grow on.
Unfortunately with the corn industry expanding, land for human food consumption becomes scarce. Due to this circumstance it is important that to fit nutrients into what ever meal we can to achieve optimal health. I hope you enjoy this recipe and its nourishing properties.
Let me know how it turns out for you!
