Hot Pink Beet Hummus (vegan, speedy recipe, beet powder or brine)

Hot Pink Beet Hummus (vegan, speedy recipe, beet powder or brine)

Okay so first things first. Pictured here are toasts with TWO spreads.

The recipe written up below is, of course, the beetroot hummus. However, you might be interested in the chocolate spread you see on one slice. That is my vegan nutella recipe . It’s also a speedy recipe, so speed along to that page, if chocolate is on your mind.

Want to stick to the beetroot hummus? Then read on! Hummus, a spread made from chickpeas and sesames (tahini) and garlic and olive oil, is already rich with nutrients those ingredients bring. Adding in beets just makes it ridiculous.

Beets are high in folate and vitamin C, and those beautiful pigments help lower blood pressure and boost your workouts! So have this hummus on toast before your next workout and see what happens. Tell me okay?

Also, you might want to know what makes this a speedy recipe? Well, most beetroot hummus recipes call for a roasted beet. And roasting beets is a wonderful practice for those who have the time. But if you are finding yourself short on time and still want to add beets to your hummus. I have the solution – use beetroot powder.

You can buy it or make it yourself. Making it yourself is a great idea though because, it too, takes a bit of time you’ll want to make it beforehand and store it. I don’t have a method on how to make homemade beetroot powder though; let me know in comments if you know how. Meanwhile, if you want to buy it, I know it is found in most Whole Foods stores, Trader Joe’s, your favorite superfood-carrying store, and certainly on Amazon here.

However, don’t despair if Amazon won’t deliver it to you in time. There is a swap – you can use equal amounts of brine from a jar of pickled beetroot, found in most grocery stores in the pickles and olives section. The color and taste might be off from mine though so taste-test during your preparations. You might want to use less oil.

Both the powder and brine will bring you all the nutrition of using roasted beets, save for the fiber with the brine.

Okay, so without further ado, let’s get on with this recipe…

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Hot Pink Beet Hummus (vegan, speedy recipe, beet powder or brine)

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp beet powder (Or brine from a jar of pickled beets)
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 3/4 cup chickpeas (one 15.5 oz can, BPA-free)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsps lemon juice (juice from one lemon)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• salt and pepper

Useful Equipment

• lemon juicer
• garlic press

Instructions

Prep

1. Wash your lemon, zest it, and then cut it half and juice it. One lemon should produce 2 tbsp of juice and 1 tsp of zest.

2. Open the can of chickpeas, save the liquid for aquafaba recipes (search aquafaba in my blog), rinse and drain. You can of course cook your own fresh chickpeas, but that takes hours and I didn't offer that option here since this is a speed recipe.

3. Peel and crush garlic with a garlic press or using the back of spoon in a bowl. Save the pulp.
   
4. Stir up tahini in the jar if it has separated

Make Hummus

1. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice and half of the olive oil to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Add in the beet powder (or brine if you are using that instead) and garlic pulp and blend until smooth.
3. If the mixture seems to need more oil to become smooth, add in the remaining olive oil a little at a time. If you use brine, half the oil might be enough to achieve a hummus-like texture.
4. Add in the zest, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Store the hummus in the refrigerator for about 5 days. No one recommends freezing hummus as it changes the texture.

Recipe Notes

Notes Add in the garlic, If you want a deeper beet flavor and/or a deeper pink color, feel free to add another tablespoon of beet powder or brine. If you love garlic, add another clove or two to taste.