ORANGE-DILL BEET HUMMUS

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This recipe is a healthy twist on traditional hummus.  It adds the sweet,  earthy flavor of roasted beets and the bright punch of orange to the traditional Middle Eastern style hummus.  The only cooking involved is the roasting of the beets and toasting of the almonds.   Otherwise just toss everything into your food processor and puree.  I like to serve it with toasted wheat pitas, grilled flatbreads or blanched veggies for a light snack or hors d’oeuvre.

 INGREDIENTS:

2 ea                                      beets

2 ea                                      cloves garlic

1 can                                    garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 T                                         minced dill, divided + extra sprigs for garnish

1 ea                                      zest of orange plus juice, zest divided

1 T                                         extra virgin olive oil*

1 T                                         sesame oil*

3T                                           almonds, toasted and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

Rinse and trim the beets.  Place beets and garlic cloves on a double thick square of aluminum foil.  Drizzle or mist with olive oil.  Wrap tightly and place in a 400 degree oven.  Roast until tender and you can pierce easily with a skewer, about 45 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

When cooled, combine garbanzo beans, garlic, beets, 1 T  dill, 1 t orange zest and orange juice in the work bowl of a food processor.  Add a generous pinch of salt and process until mixture is combines.  Combine olive oil and sesame oil in a small bowl.  With the machine running, slowly add oil to bean mixture until bean-beet mixture is smooth and creamy.  * You may not need to add all of the oil depending on the moisture content of the beets.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Transfer puree to a serving bowl and garnish with remaining dill, orange zest and chopped almonds.

Serve with toasted whole wheat pita, flatbreads or blanched vegetables.

Makes about 2 cups