Three of us split a share at CSA and with all the beautiful beets we got this past week we were looking for a really nice recipe that was light enough for this hot summer weather and could be picnic friendly! In the colder months we’ve tried out some beets with pasta and other hearty dishes, but we thought that this recipe for beet hummus was delicious and perfect for July. It was fairly easy to make (make sure you have a food processor!) and required ingredients that we have from CSA and can also be picked up at the local market. Here’s what we did to make a perfect 4th of July Picnic-Ready beet treat.
Beet Hummus (adapted from Simply Recipes – a great recipe site)
- 3 large beets
- 2 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste
- a lemon slice
- 1 clove of garlic (from a previous week)
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- salt and pepper (optional – we skipped it)
First step – cook your beets. Place the beets in an oven-safe dish with 1/4 inch of water and cover. Set the oven to 375 and keep checking it periodically until your beets are soft. Ours took about half an hour.- Second step – peel the beets and slice into small squares. Put the beets, tahini sesame seed paste, garlic and cumin into the food processor and blend. Be sure to scrape the sides and make sure that everything is completely ground up. Then add a squirt or two of lemon.
- Final Step – Test it! Add salt and pepper as you like and feel free to get creative by adding other ingredients you have around the house. Some fresh basil or parmesan cheese might even add a nice touch. Eat it as-is or on pita bread or cucumber (our choice!).
You can also refrigerate your beet hummus for up to 3 days and eat is as a weekday snack. Bon Appetit! -Lauren, Isabelle + David
Southside CSA 
Those colors are lovely!!
Yum! I actually don’t know how to use beets in aynihtng except borscht, but roasting them sounds like an excellent idea. I picked up eggs from the farmers’ market this weekend (I was assured that these were, indeed, happy hens that spent most of their time outdoors pecking at things). Paid more than I’ve ever paid for eggs ($6 a dozen!), but I love supporting a small local farmer and am really pleased with the eggs, too.