Beet Hummus

I saw a passing reference to Beet Hummus on someone's Facebook page.  (ah, ain't that sophisticated)  and was intrigued.  We decided to improvise this past weekend, I think with spectacular results.  Here's what we came up with:

Beet Hummus

1 can beets, drained (or the equivalent amount, baked and peeled--about 3-4 medium sized beets)
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of almonds or walnuts, toasted
a good handful of fresh mint, coarsely chopped
**1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (balsamic vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar will do if you don't keep crazy stuff like that around)
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whizz all that together in the food processor and taste.  You may need to add a bit of water to thin it down to an appealing consistency.  I have been reminded recently how very appealing blenders and food processors are to kids.  We've been making a lot of salad dressings and dips with the crew, which is a great way to then have them downing tons of fruit and veg, sampling their creations.

As you can see from the picture, this is a spectacular color and would be really striking to offer along with regular hummus and other dips for a an appetizer or light dinner.  

**This is a really fun pantry ingredient, if you can lay your hands on it.  Middle Eastern groceries carry it and the flavor is sweet tart perfumy all at once.  It's great drizzled in salad dressing or over hot grains.  It keeps just about as long as typical molasses in the cupboard.

As you can see from the picture, I was having a dip sort of weekend.  Beet hummus and two kinds of salsa.  Sometimes dinner doesn't get much better than some good bread, crackers or chips, something to dip or slather and lots of good veggies and fruit. Oh . . and maybe a glass of wine.