Sweet Beet Hummus

Perfect with sugar snap peas and salty pita chips, this hummus brings some variety and color to the party platter staple. Don't let the title fool you, this isn't a dessert by any means, however, the sweet beets do provide a subtle sweet note as well as nice earthiness. It's one of those dips that tastes better the longer you eat it. You go for one dip but next thing you know, you've finished off a whole bag of chips and cleared your fridge of carrots. Each bite leads you to your next and the low-key nature of this dip allows you to appreciate each bite without feeling overwhelmed. It works with the food you pair it with as opposed to over powering the flavors and leaving you with one note. Plus you get the added bonus of beets and all the nutritional benefits they come with.

Click Here for the video!!

Sweet Beet Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, or 1, 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
• 200 grams beets
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup tahini paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

1. First things first, you must cook your chickpeas and beets. Click Here for detailed instructions for cooking the chickpeas. 
2. To cook your beets:
1. Score the skin on the beet so you have a cross at the top of the beet and scores going down each side. 
2. Place a pot on the stove on high and fill with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a rolling boil and place your steaming basket and beets inside then cover. 
3. Steam for 20-60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your beets. I used one large beet so it took a very long time to cook all the way through. If you are using several smaller beets it will take less time. I suggest checking your beets every twenty minutes with a skewer until it sticks through the beet easily. 
4. Once cooked, remove from the heat and let cool to handling temperature. 
5. Peel off the skin (it should come off very easily) and cut it into small pieces to cool faster. 
6. Place in the refrigerator since cold ingredients make for better hummus.
3. Now that all your ingredients are prepared, we start making hummus!
4. In a food processor, blend the garlic and lemon juice. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes so the lemon juice can mellow out the garlic.
5. Now add all of your ingredients except for the ice water.
6. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides when necessary.
7. Now take your ice water and add it a tablespoon at a time while the mixture is blending. The cold water will help make the hummus fluffy and creamy. You can add less if you feel your hummus is too wet already.
8. Once the water is blended in and all of it smooth, taste the hummus and adjust the flavor (I sometimes feel it needs more salt). I suggest you taste it with what ever you plan eating it with to get a better sense of what it will need. 
9. Now that it suits your taste, EAT.