Happy Sunday!
Do you guys ever over plan your days off? Mark and I seem to do that more often than not. In between his company’s holiday party, Christmas shopping, creating Christmas gifts, visiting family, training for our next half marathon, and celebrating my grandpa’s 49th day memory thingy, we didn’t have too much time for cooking. Oh, living slowly and mindfully has been a difficult feat indeed. We just need more time in a day!
Today I forced myself to roll out of bed earlier than I wanted to so that I could peel and roast a beautiful rosy beet. I knew that with my grandpa’s 49 day celebration (a day where in my family’s culture, is the day when the spirit of the person who has passed has officially moved on from their former life and reincarnated into a new one) that I wouldn’t have very much time to play in the kitchen. If I wanted to scrounge up enough time to make this recipe, I’d have to be extremely efficient and productive every minute of the day. There was absolutely no time to get distracted by text messages, Clash Royale, or e-mails.
It helps that beets are so incredibly messy to work with that you can’t handle anything else with your hands while working with them.
Beets stain your hands and everything they touch. Sometimes our cutting boards look blood splattered. Other times they look like an exquisite, bold red painting.
After they’re sliced and roasted for several minutes in the oven, they come out looking scarlet with dark rings on them. I personally find beets so pretty. I had so much fun photographing them even thought I only had several minutes to do so.
I literally pulled these guys out of the oven, cleaned up my mess, and hopped into the car to head over to the temple.
I’m not a religious person, but it’s nice to occasionally visit this particular temple. Compared to many churches and other temples, this one is unimpressive and no one would ever think of it as a religious institution, because in many ways, it looks like a small house. But my grandpa, for the past 10 years, devoted himself to helping the monks build this temple from the ground up. Everywhere I turn and look, I see a part of him in something. From the mahogany fences that run the perimeter of the property to the thriving potted plants, he’s there, and I automatically feel so much more connected to this place and to him.
He also lives in many of the people at this temple. All of them carry treasured memories of him that they’ll occasionally share with my family: stories of his kindness, generosity, and social engagements with pure strangers. They’re stories that cause hard lumps to form in my throat and make me feel uncertain about whether or not I want to smile or cry.
Gosh, I miss that man and his laugh. Today, of all days, I missed him more than ever, especially when I ran up my street and didn’t see him in the yard with a shovel in hand asking me why I was breathing so hard. But hey, at the end of the day, I can only be grateful and proud for having such an amazing person for a grandpa.
Thank you to the beets for beating the sadness and laziness out of me. I made this hummus in the food processor when I got home from temple and then met up with Mark for a chill 8 mile run.
Making roasted beet hummus is extremely simple. It’s easier than my kale almond hummus but it’s just as tasty! While staying true to the creamy and garlicky flavors of traditional hummus, the beets give it a nice roast-y sweetness to it. There are plenty of flavors and nutrients in this hummus! Namely protein from the chickpeas and fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamin C from the beets. Yay for tasty healthy treats!
- 1 roasted red beet with a tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp tahini (2 Tbsp roasted food processed sesame seeds with 1 Tbsp olive oil)
- 1 lemon
- 1 15 oz. can of drained garbanzo beans
- Roast the beets by placing the sliced beets onto a baking sheet for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After the beets cool, place them in a food processor and blend until they're smooth. Add the garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon, and tahini (to make the tahini you need to separately process the sesame seeds and then add the olive oil). Process everything until smooth.
- Taste the hummus and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the olive oil and process.
I am absolutely in love with the vibrant pink and red hues of this beet hummus! Are you? I feel like I could use this hummus for painting as well as for eating, but I think I’ll stick with eating it for now.
If you’re a hummus lover and like to try out different flavors, give this recipe a shot. Right now it is definitely my bedtime. I gotta be awake, aware, and quick on my feet to keep up with the 30 something little guys tomorrow. Good night and sweet dreams. Stay happy and healthy, y’all!
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We’re major beet lovers in our house, too! Our roasted beet dip is one of our favourites – we make a big batch of it, and freeze it (otherwise we’d probably be making it every other day!). The colour is so gorgeous, and roasting brings out that wonderful sweetness! Veggies really are the best 😉
I agree, veggies are the best! I should consider freezing a big batch because I’m almost out!