Beet Hummus

Some people complain about too many zucchini this time of year. Well, we have those too. The one thing I am really trying to figure out what I am going to do with is all the beets we have right now. Yes, I'm sure there will be borscht before all is said and done. Before I tackle that challenge I decided to make this beet hummus that I have had bookmarked since last year. I have never gone out of my way for beets, but it seems like I have been having so many wonderfully prepared versions lately, I just find myself craving them. The color is really hard to resist too.
I find that beets pair amazingly well will orange. I have had a few beet salads that included that flavor combination. So, I decided to try it out with this beet hummus and again the combination was a winner. Use this just as you would regular hummus, either as a dip or a sandwich spread. You could also make some pretty fancy looking appetizers placing a dollop of the beet hummus on sliced cucumbers or crackers and then adding a bit of grated carrot on top. The color combination is quite striking. So, if you too have a few extra beets in your garden this year I recommend giving beet hummus a try. I still have plenty more. If you have any winning beet recipes, I would love to hear about them.

Beet Hummus
adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium sized beets, tops removed and scrubbed clean
2 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste
Juice and zest of one orange
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp ground cumin
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Wrap beets together in foil and place in a 350 degree oven for about one hour or until soft when pierced with a fork. Allow to sit until cool enough to handle, then slide off beet skins. Place beets and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an immersion blender (or place ingredients in bowl of the food processor) puree all ingredients together. Add additional seasoning to taste. Serve with an assortment of vegetables and pita chips.