Beetroot Hummus
Functional foods
I think it is safe to say that we all agree that diet high in fruit and vegetables has well-documented health benefits. “Eat more processed food and animal products” said not doctor ever.
But have you heard of ‘functional foods’? I, until recently, hadn’t. Functional foods potentially have positive effects on health, which go beyond basic nutrition. They actually promote optimal health and help reduce the risk of disease. That doesn’t mean though you should replace your healthy balanced diet with functional foods exclusively, but including them regularly in your diet is probably a good idea.
The red beetroot, or “Beta vulgaris rubra” is such a functional food. Quite some studies have been conducted in the past decades to find out more about its application in health and disease. Beetroot is rich in bioactive compounds. As such, it is particulaly effective in targeting chronic inflammation.
I talked about chronic inflammation as a precursor for obesity in my recent article about air pollution. I now wonder if people living in cities with high air pollution levels may want to include more beetroot and anti-inflammatory foods to balance the effects.
Let us start with an all beloved dip: hummus. Or for reasons above, beetroot hummus.
Ingredients
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup sliced beets (fresh or from a tin, as you prefer)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- optional: 2 Tbsp of catpured liquid from chickpeas (first add 1 Tbsp, if you prefer thinner consistency, add more)
Preparation
- Pour the liquid off, capturing half of it in a small bowl. Rinse the chickpeas shortly with water.
- Place all chickpeas in a food processor, adding the salt, cumin, garlic, and beets. Turn the processor on to break up the mixture.
- With the food processor running, pour in the lemon juice and olive oil, and let the processor run until the mixture is smooth. Optional: add some of the liquid from the chickpeas for a thinner consistency.
- Serve with veggies of your choice. I love carrot sticks and celery sticks with it! It’s great in tortilla wraps, on sandwiches and crisp bread too.
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Eat healty – be happy 🙂
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