Perfectly Pink Roasted Beet Hummus

Brilliantly pink. Ultra creamy. With that deliciously earthy flavor that only comes from beets and a slight smokiness from the addition of cumin. How in the world did I not think of this sooner?!?!?

This recipe will make a party-sized batch. Feel free to reduce it...or just plan to consume large quantities of hummus over the next couple of weeks! It's a real hardship, I know...

3 medium-sized beets
3 C cooked garbanzo beans (I start with dried...you could also use canned)
1/3 C tahini
1 or 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely grated
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 - 1 tsp cumin
sea salt, to taste
1/4 C plus 1 TBSP olive oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your beets on a large piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with about 1 TBSP of olive oil, and fold up the foil to make a nice secure packet around your beets. Roast the beets in their foil packet for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. When they have cooled, gently use your fingers to slide off the skins. Quarter the beets and toss them into your food processor with the cooked garbanzos, the tahini, the grated garlic, the lemon juice and zest, the cumin, and several nice pinches of sea salt. Turn your food processor on and let it do it's thing while you slowly drizzle in 1/4 C of olive oil. Stop the food processor, scrape down the sides, and taste for seasoning. Adjust your salt, cumin, garlic, and tahini levels to suit your taste and process a little longer. Use your best judgement with the oil and if it seems like you need more to get a nice creamy consistency, add more.

Dip into it with chips and veggie sticks, scoop it onto a big green salad, spoon it on pita, spread it on crackers topped with thinly sliced veggies...ohhhh the possibilities are endless!

(See the pretty pink hummus in the back there? Topped with cucumber? SO GOOD! Also, those crackers in front with goat cheese, sliced peach, and balsamic? Not so bad either!)

NOTE: If you are waiting around while your beets are roasting, consider using that time to pop each and every one of your garbanzos out of their skins. I read somewhere a couple of years ago that this made the smoothest and creamiest hummus...but figured that only a crazy person would intentionally put herself through that variety of torture. Well, I had time to kill while my beets were roasting and figured I would give it a shot. The verdict: I felt ridiculous while I was doing it and it was definitely time consuming AND Chris made fun of me a whole lot BUT holy crap this is the creamiest hummus I have ever made!!!

Fattoush Salad

This Lebanese salad, with slightly sour dressing and crunchy pita chips tossed in, is SO GOOD (even with raw garlic, which I generally despise).

2 cups shredded lettuce
1 large or 2 small cucumbers, diced small
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley, leaves only, no stems
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, no stems
1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
2 pieces of pita bread
a few tablespoons olive oil
za'atar

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper

Brush pita with olive oil, sprinkle with za'atar, and toast 'till it's crispy. Break into pieces the size of a quarter.

In a small bowl mix all dressing ingredients well.

Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 to 1 cup dressing. Serve immediately.

za'atar pita

I got seriously addicted to this while in Israel . . .

ingredients:
pita bread
za'atar (I haven't been able to find it here, so the recipe is below)
olive oil
sea salt

for za'atar, combine:
1/2 cup thyme
1/4 cup sumac
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

mix 1-2 tablespoons za'atar with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and spread on warm pita bread. sprinkle with sea salt. so good! also yummy with a little yogurt on top :)

Quinoa Tabouli

Usually tabouli is made with bulgur, but I actually liked it better with the quinoa! This recipe is heavy on the quinoa and light on the parsley . . . feel free to switch it around if you like. It also takes about 10-15 minutes from start to finish, which is awesome.

1 cup uncooked quinoa
juice of 2 lemons
a drizzle of olive oil
about 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs - I used parsley, mint, and chives.
about 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool a bit. I like cooking it in veggie broth - it makes it tres yummy. Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes. You could also add chopped red onions (which would probably be yummy, if you like raw onions). Other optional additions, for different flavors: chopped red pepper and cilantro.

Soooo good!! Tastes like summer :)

Pita Bread

This bread takes literally an hour to make from start to finish, and it's a bajillion times better than any pita you'll get in the supermarket. It's best straight out of the oven when it's almost too hot to eat, dipped in some really good olive oil or hummus. You can also freeze it by wrapping it in tin foil after it's cooled and then reheating it for a few minutes in the oven.

Makes 8 small pita breads

2 1/2 cups BREAD flour (not all-purpose -- it makes a huge difference), plus more for sprinkling and rolling out dough
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp active (or fast-rising) dry yeast
2 Tbs good olive oil
1 cup warm water (105 - 110 degrees)

8 8-inch squares of aluminum foil for baking pitas

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour with the salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the oil and water. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoons for three minutes, then stir in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is moist, add a small amount of additional flour.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 6 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll into balls, dust lightly with flour, and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rest for 40 minutes. (If the dough isn't rising after 20 minutes or so, it's a good idea to place them in an oven that's been preheated to about 200 degrees and then turned off).

Use the palm of your hand to flatten each ball into a disk. Finish with a rolling pin, rolling them into disks about 6 inches in diameter. Use as few strokes as possible -- over-rolling seems to keep the pita from puffing.

Place each round on a square of foil, and carefully place them directly on the oven rack. Do not roll out pitas until you're ready to slip them into the oven -- they'll harden as they sit out. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are puffed, golden brown, and smell delicious.

Yummy!