Roasted Red Beet and Garlic Hummus

Several years ago I made a beetroot hummus from a recipe I found in a vegetarian cookbook.  I made it around Christmas time and the color was so beautiful and festive.  This year I finally got to making it again, but this time I made some changes and, oh my, it is yummy!  The roasting of the beet and garlic adds to the flavor, but if you wanted to save some time you could steam the beet and use raw garlic (if using raw garlic, be sure to decrease the amount you use or it will be too strong, garlic-wise).

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 large beetroot (or 1 small)
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed butter)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bulb roasted garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin (or if you used a high speed blender like me you can add the seeds whole before blending)
pinch of salt (I use sea salt or Himalayan)



Directions:

Begin by roasting the beetroot and garlic.  Preheat oven between 350-400 degrees.  Wash the beetroot, do NOT peel, rub with olive oil, then wrap in a piece of tin foil.  Next, take the bulb of garlic and cut the cloves off across the top, just exposing the inside.  Place bulb on a piece of tin foil, then drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap the bulb up in the foil.   Now, place the garlic and beetroot on an oven proof pan and bake until roasted.  You will know the garlic is done when it begins to look caramelized (a bit browned but NOT burned!) and the beet is done when you can stick a fork through to the middle.  I think it took me about 45 minutes to roast the garlic and about 1 hour for the beetroot.  I started the timer at about 30 minutes and kept checking them periodically.

While the beetroot and garlic are roasting begin preparing the other ingredients.  Rinse the garbanzo beans (you can definitely substitute canned beans with freshly soaked and cooked ones!) in a strainer and allow the water to drain off for several minutes.

Combine the garbanzo beans, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt in a food processor or blender.  Once the garlic has been roasted take it out of the oven, open the tin foil, and allow it to cool enough to handle safely with your hands.  It should look something like this:

Once cooled, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and add to the other ingredients.  Alternatively, if you chose to use raw garlic, just add 2 peeled cloves of raw garlic instead.  Raw garlic is much stronger, that is why I suggest using a much smaller amount.  Once the beet(s) have been roasted, use a fork to "hold" on to the beet(s) and remove the skin by scraping it off with a butter knife.

After the skin has been removed cut the beet into smaller pieces to help it continue to cool.  Allow to cool for a few minutes then add to the other ingredients.

Now, you are ready to blend it up!  Blend up the ingredients until smooth.  Serve immediately or store in the fridge and use within several days.  This hummus is delicious with raw veggies, corn chips, salad or sandwich topper, and the list goes on!  Also, a GREAT addition to the appetizer spread for your holiday potluck or party--- Enjoy!

Check out this link for more feel divine recipes at this week's Wellness Weekend!

Festive Cranberry Pecan Brussel Sprouts

I had some brussel sprouts in the fridge and, after making cranberry sauce and snacking on pecans, I was inspired to put them together in this delicious combination!

Ingredients:

1 lb brussel sprouts
2-3 tbs olive oil
handful chopped pecans
handful fresh cranberries
salt, to taste
cracked pepper, to taste
cranberry sauce, optional (recipe on this blog)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash brussel sprouts and be sure to drain all water off.  Cut them in quarters and place them in a large caserole baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add pecans and cranberries.  Mix to coat with oil.

Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes or until the brussel sprouts can be poked thru with a fork but not too soft. 

Eat by itself or serve with quinoa.

Try adding some cranberry sauce on top!

A link to this recipe may also be found here, along with other wonderfully delicious and nutritious recipes: Wellness Weekend December 20-24. 

Raw Apple Cider Horseradish

Ingredients:

- horseradish
- raw apple cider vinegar
- pinch of salt

Directions:


Peel and chop horseradish and place in food processor.

Process in food processor with s-blade until ground.

Add enough apple cider vinegar to moisten the horseradish (but not soak it!).

And process it some more.

Place in a glass jar and store in refrigerator.   I'm not sure exactly how long it will keep but I have typically used mine up within approximately 10-days. 

There are many ways to enjoy this preparation.  A teaspoon on a bed of sauteed greens is just one of them!

Bunnicula's Carrot Top Soup Medley

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch multi-colored carrots with tops
- onion
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tbs. italian seasoning
- 1/2 tbs. turmeric powder
- 1/2 cup red lentils (optional, leave out for lower-carb version)
- 3 celery stalks
- several cloves of garlic
- fresh herbs, I used holy basil leaves
- moringa leaves
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- sea salt or Himalayan salt, to taste
- water, to cover
- 1 cup cooked quinoa


Directions:


Remove carrot tops and peel carrots.

 Chop onion and stir-fry in olive oil with bay leaves.

Add lentils and other (dry) herbs.

Add several cups water, and bring to a simmer...

Chop carrots and celery and add to soup, let cook several minutes.

Chop (washed) carrot top greens and add to soup.

Lastly, add moringa, holy basil leaves, and quinoa.

Salt to taste...

... and enjoy!

Baked Almond Flour Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg, whisked
- 3/4 cup ground almonds
- spices of choice (I used italian seasoning, turmeric, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, salt), to taste


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Using kitchen scissors, cut up chicken into evenly sized pieces and place in a separate bowl.  Whisk the egg in another bowl, and mix the ground almonds with the spices on a large plate. 

Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, in the egg, then roll in the almond mixture, coating completely with the almond flour.  Place chicken in a greased oven dish, leaving spaces between each piece.

Place in oven and bake for approximately 17 minutes.  Serve with a side of veggies and enjoy (these are so yummy!)!!

Easy Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I know roasting is not the most nutritious way to prepare veggies, but WOW how delicious roasted brussel sprout are!  You will need...

Ingredients:
- as many brussel sprouts as you'd like
- olive oil
- sea salt or Himalayan
- paprika & cayenne pepper

Directions:
Begin by washing the sprouts.  I like to soak my veggies in a large bowl of water and about 1/4-1/2 cup white vinegar for a few minutes, then rinse twice with fresh water, drain off all water.  After washing, cut the very base of each sprout off with a paring knife and leave on a towel to absorb some of the water (you don't want the water with them for roasting!).

Next, place them in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over them.  Add salt and spices to taste.  Using a spoon, stir to coat evenly.

Place in a pan intended for oven-use, making sure the sprouts are not too crowded or stacked (you want to roast them, not seam them, so spread them out). 

Place the sprouts in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Colorful Summer Salad Slaw

Whether you like eating the slaw alone or on a salad or other meal topper, this fast and easy prep will cure your crave for crunch for several days.  There is endless versatility with what veggies you use and what is used to flavor it with.  I would plan to make a batch that will last no more than about 3-4 days, as it's best to eat fresh.   For this batch I used:

Ingredients:
- 1 head red cabbage
- 1 small/medium onion
- several fresh beets
- approximately 1 lb. carrots
- fresh herbs from garden or use dry herbs
- pinch of salt
- cayenne pepper
- juice of one lemon
- olive oil (or other) added before eating, optional

Directions:
- First, wash cabbage, peel onion, beets and carrots.  If needed, chop veggies to a size that will allow them to fit through the food processor with a shredding attachment.  I use a Cuisinart processor.  If you do not have a food processor, shredding by hand will also work, but it will require more patience.

Shred all veggies.  Add herbs of your choice.  I used what fresh ones I have growing now: holy basil, rosemary and mint.  Wash, pull off leaves and finely chop.  Alternatively, add dry herbs.  Add to shredded veggie mix.  Add salt, pepper, and lemon, then thoroughly mix ingredients using a large spoon.

Before eating, add olive oil (or other oil of choice: avocado, hemp, flax, etc...).  It is great alone.  I love to add it to to a salad:

Or, even more, along with other things to complete the salad (here, I've added avocado and quinoa...):

Store rest of slaw in airtight containers in fridge.  Variations for this recipe are endless... have fun, experiment and... ENJOY!