I think beetroots are such an underrated vegetable. They come in many forms. Beets aren’t just the classic round, dark red root vegetable you find at the supermarkets. Yes, some varieties are a beautiful deep red/purple colour but you can also get bright golden ones (known as Golden Beets), pink and white striped ones (Chioggia Beets) and even long oval-shaped ones (such as Cylindra). These heritage varieties can sometimes be hard to find but I can buy them at my local farmers market. I love my local farmers’ market because, not only is everything grown locally and is in season, freshly picked and so full of nutrients, but you find all sorts of different heritage varieties that are simply not stocked by the mainstream supermarkets.
I’ve been experimenting with different ways of using beets and incorporating them more into my diet whilst they are still in season and widely available. They are known to have many benefits for your health such as heart disease and stroke prevention and they can help lower blood pressure. Dark red beets also are full of antioxidants which are known to fight cell damage and inflammation.
Here is a very easy-to-make roast beetroot and chickpea dip (aka beetroot hummus without tahini) that is delicious served with crackers or rice cakes or spread generously on sourdough bread. It keeps well and in fact, I prefer it the ‘next day’ when the flavours have had a little time to mature.
I’ve used golden beets rather than the classic red ones but both work well.
Ingredients:
- 1 large golden beetroot (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 400g chickpeas (dried and prepared or tinned and drained)
- juice 1/2 lemon
- small handful coriander
- 2 tbsp olive oil (+ a little extra for topping and roasting)
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
- water
- salt and pepper to taste
It really couldn’t be easier to put together, once the beets are roasted you simply put it all in a blender and blend until combined.
Method:
- preheat the oven to 180°C whilst you prepare the beets for roasting.
- peel and chop the beets into rough chunks and place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil.
- peel the 3 garlic cloves and add them whole to the baking tray along with the beets. Drizzle over a little olive oil and sprinkle over the caraway seeds to enhance the beetroot’s flavour.
- place in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes until the beets are soft. If they start to burn cover them with a little foil to prevent any further colouring
- in a blender add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, coriander, roast beetroots, roast garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. blend until they start to combine. you will need to scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure everything gets combined as it is quite a thick mix.
- add a little water (approx 2tbsp) and blend again to help it combine further. Keep repeating until you get the desired consistency, you can also add extra olive oil if you find it gets a little watery.
- season generously with ground black pepper and salt. Blend once more to combine. I strongly recommend this as it enhances the flavours.
- serve in a bowl topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a few pumpkin seeds along with some crackers on the side