Bean-Free Roasted Beet Hummus

I realize, dear loyal blog readers, that it has been a while since I have posted anything new, and for that I humbly apologize. It is not for lack of kitchen creation, let me assure you! Life simply gets in the way at times, between working full time, creating new recipes for upcoming classes, and life in general, eeking out time to post recipes can be a challenge!
The recipe I want to share today is so simple and easy though, I wanted to post it quickly this morning to share the yumminess!!  I was taking a veggie tray to a family birthday gathering on the weekend, and wanted a non-dairy, non bean veggie dip to take along side it. Still having quite a few beets in the garden left to pull, I thought it was an awesome time to try out a roasted beet hummus. There are quite a few recipes floating around in cyber-recipe land that use many different kinds of beans, but beans and I still have a tenuous digestive relationship. I wanted to keep this simple, and have the flavour of the roasted beets as the shining star. The result was an earthy tangy and downright addictive dip that was amazing with raw veg.
I hope you love it as much as I did!

Bean-Free Roasted Beet Hummus 

5-6 medium beets, scrubbed and trimmed (peel if desired, mine were garden fresh, I left the skins on)
2 tbsp avocado oil
3/4 tsp Herbamare (or other quality sea salt of choice)
1/4 cup tahini (organic!!)
Juice of 1 lemon,


Preheat oven to 450F

Chop beets into 2 inch cubes, (mine measured a very generous 2 cups when chopped) and place in a baking dish. Drizzle with avocado oil, sprinkle with Herbamare and roast for approx 30 minutes, or until the beets are soft thru when poked with a sharp knife.

Remove from oven and cool until just about room temperature
When beets are cool, scrape them and all of the pan juices into a food processor. Add the tahini, and lemon juice. Process until mixture forms a nice smooth paste, stopping and scraping down sides of processor bowl a few times during the process.

Scoop hummus from processor into serving bowl or storage container. Chill before serving alongside a nice organic veggie tray!!

Bean-Free Zucchini Hummus

Oh hummus, how I have missed you. Beans have not been a regular part of my diet lately, digestion issues having relegated them to the strictly occasional very small indulgence. I have really missed hummus though, and until recently, thought I would not be able to enjoy it again. BUT! When browsing Pinterest the last few days, I have found 3 hummus recipes that don’t use beans! Oh joy oh bliss!! This one uses Cauliflower, this one uses Beets, and the  one that I made today uses Zucchini as the base. I was out of tahini, and having little patience when I am in the mood to create, substituted Sunbutter, with pretty good results! I also cut the amounts down, and added a kick of cayenne to give it some spice. You can peel your zucchini if you wish, but I left the skin on. The green flecks look kinda pretty!

Bean-Free Zucchini Hummus

2 cups  roughly chopped organic zucchini (approx 1 medium)

1/3 cup organic sun flower seed butter (Sunbutter)

Juice of 1 organic lemon

1 clove of organic

garlic, peeled

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp Herbamare or sea salt of choice

1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until everything is nice and smooth and hummus-like. Serve with dippers of choice!

Guacamole

This is a recipe I am asked for time and time again. And I always say the same thing…it is so easy to make!!! Avocados are a nutrient dense food, full of healthy fats, potassium, folate and vitamin K, just to mention a few of the awesome phytonutrients they contain!

This guacamole is my favourite way to eat avocados. As a dip for organic corn chips, as a topping for scrambled eggs, use as a spread on wraps or sandwiches, thin with some milk, kefir or water for an awesome salad dressing…the yumminess is endless. 

Avocados ripen after they are picked, not when they are on the tree. So a bit of planning may be necessary to make the perfect guacamole. When ripe, they should give just slightly. You don’t want them too hard or too soft. (You can ripen them faster if you put them in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana for a few days too!) They will ripen on the counter, but stop ripening when refrigerated.

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados

½ cup chopped tomatoes*

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lime, juiced

½ tsp sea salt

½ -1 tsp hot sauce or a dash of cayenne (I like Franks Red Hot)

Halve the avocados with a sharp knife. (please be careful!) To remove the pits easily, hold the halved avocado firmly in the palm of one hand, and whack (gently but firmly!) the sharp knife into the pit and give a slight twist.

 Lift the knife and the pit should come right out. Carefully pull the pit off the knife and discard.**
Repeat with all three avocados.

Scoop the flesh from the halved avocados into a bowl, and mash with a potato masher or a fork to desired consistency. I like mine a bit chunky.

Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir well to combine.

Chill before serving if desired, and enjoy!

* Use any kind of tomatoes you want, canned or fresh. I have even used cherry tomatoes in a pinch! If they are too juicy give them a bit of a squeeze and drain before adding them to the avocado mixture or you might end up with runny guac!

**If you are making the Guacamole in advance, save one of the pits and stir it into the guacamole before storing in the fridge, it helps it from turning brown.