Hot Pink Hummus

A general rule when selecting a fruit or veggie is that the darker or brighter the color, the more nutritious it is. So you can imagine how excited I get about beets. The color compounds that give beets their deep pink/red hue are powerful antioxidants and potential cancer fighters.
I found this recipe in the September issue of Parents magazine and have been meaning to try it ever since. I have beets in the house this week so it's time. The recipe is from Blogger Catherine McCord who has a great website: weelicious.com.

The combination of smooth pureed beans with sweet beets and garlic is so good I couldn't stop dipping whatever I could find in the resulting hummus!The kids were tickled by the fuschia dip – I served it to Lila with carrots for dipping and spread it on an English muffin for Deacon.

I used chickpeas instead of white beans, so here is my recipe. Be sure to check out the original recipe, too! The Parents magazine version noted that you can use 5 canned beets in place of the freshly roasted one.

Hot Pink Hummus

1 Medium Beet
1 ½ cups chickpeas, pre-soaked and pre-cooked
1 Large Garlic Clove, peeled
Juice of 1/2 Lemon (about 1/2 Tbsp)
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt

1.Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Wash beet well and wrap loosely in foil.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until beet is tender when poked with a knife.
4. Remove skin from beet.
5. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Today's tip: Try this unique hummus recipe to add color to your meals.