From the Kitchen of Dr. Amy Rothenberg

Sometime over the last few years the whole world of hummus has changed. What used to be the Middle Eastern and Greek standard, made with the same few ingredients of chickpeas, tahini, salt, lemon, and olive oil, now comes in so many variations, it’s hard to keep up! Go to any health food store, farmer’s market, or larger grocery store and you can find a raft of different flavored hummus from garlic, to olive, to sun-dried tomato. One store-bought hummus I relish is pink from the addition of beets. It looks so pretty on a plate, and I know it’s healthy, too. Chickpeas are high in protein and fiber, tahini packs calcium and healthy oils side by side with the olive oil. It’s a very satisfying snack and pairs well with many salads or main dishes.

​Cranberry Hummus For Your Holiday Gathering?

I made a few variations on cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving this year. One creation involved pomegranate seeds with orange zest, slowly cooked with raw organic cranberries and a dollop of honey. When I realized I had several small jars of this sauce sitting in my fridge, I had an AHA moment. I like to tie one holiday to the next, bringing the gratitude and love from Thanksgiving into our winter holidays and New Years.

This hummus will now be part of our easy-to-make, homemade-humus rotation. It’s tangy, earthy, and smooth and with a bed of greens and a piece of toast, makes a perfect light meal when time is short. It’s also easy to decorate up in a festive way, like here with some thinly slices watermelon radish!

Ingredients:
1 can rinsed garbanzo beans, try unsalted
3 TBSP tahini
3 TBSP olive oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 TBSP cranberry sauce
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
One small beet, roasted or boiled without peeling the outer layer

Once the beet has cooled, peel the outer layer, cut into pieces. Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Whip up until smooth. Or leave it a little chunky if you prefer. Balance it all out with salt and pepper to taste.