Healthy? Yes, but more importantly beautiful and delicious! Imagine this wine-colored spread on crispy crackers or as part of a vibrant plate of garden-fresh crudités.

This hummus is just as creamy and smooth as my white bean hummus recipe. My favorite thing about hummus is the flavorful marriage of garlic, lemon, and cumin. Inspired by a couple of beets in the fridge, I decided to do what beets like best – roast them. Roasting brings out the sweetness in this beautiful root vegetable. I substituted beets for the white beans in my original recipe and was really happy that the main garlic, lemon, and cumin flavors still shine through. The beets add a subtle earthy, sweet flavor. Best of all, they take the presentation through the roof with their color.

Roasted Beet Hummus

Ingredients

• 2 medium beets
• 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• a few dashes hot sauce. We like Cholula.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F (190 C. Remove the stem from the beets. Scrub and wash them with cold water.
2. Place beets in foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap tightly and roast for one hour or until the tines of a fork pass through without resistance. They should be tender. Let cool slightly.
3. You should be able to rub the skin off of the beets. Otherwise, use a paring knife to peel off the roasted skin.
4. Cut beets into chunks. Place in deep bowl.
5. Rinse and drain beans. Add to bowl.
6. Combine lemon, cumin, garlic, hot sauce, salt and half of the olive oil with beet mixture. Use a stick blender to mix and purée hummus. This can also be done in a food processor.
7. Process mixture until smooth, adding more olive oil to reach desired consistency.
8. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a crack of black pepper.