People either love beets or hate them. Some think they taste a bit like dirt. I think they were just served beets that were in a can and not the lovely fresh ones.

What gives beets that earthy-flavor isn’t because they are a root vegetable that grows in the ground, but geosmin. Geosmin gives off a smell like freshly plowed earth. Human noses are very sensitive to geosmin, and while some people don’t like it, others love it. Other foods high in geosmin include spinach, lettuce, and mushrooms.

Beets aren’t just in a can or used for borsht (which when done the right way is amazing). There are a variety of ways to use them – and besides roasting them (which I do often), I also make a killer hummus from them.

Everyone loves this hummus, partly because it’s so cheery: it’s bright pink! And the beets give a natural sweetness to the sometimes bland chickpea mixture.

And the best part? Once you make it, you can use the mixture in a variety of ways:

• a traditional dip with crackers, pita, and veggies
• a pizza ‘sauce’ topped with spinach, garlic, and feta cheese
• Sandwich spread (especially great with turkey)
• Part of the mixings for deviled eggs or pasta salad (substitute for mayo)

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Beet hummus

Course: Snack

Ingredients

• 1 roasted beet See additional note.
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained
• 1 lemon
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 TBS tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

• Grate the lemon for zest.
• Juice half the lemon.
• Place beet in food processor and or blender and blend until fine.
• Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the oil. Pulse until smooth.
• Drizzle oil in as pulsing.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding salt, pepper, more lemon juice, or olive oil if needed.

Notes

Roasting beets is simple. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Trim the ends of the beets. Do not peel! (Save the greens and use as you would any greens - for salads, soups, etc,) Place the individual beet on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle the beet with olive oil. Wrap the beet in the foil. Stick in oven for about 45 minutes.  Once roasted, let cool to the touch. Rub the foil while still covered against the beet. The peel will fall right off when opened.