Beet Hummus

They're baaaaaaack.

Beets. Pretty little suckers, I'll give you that. But it's their deep dirt earthy flavor I'm still struggling with. Still that doesn't keep them out of our CSA box every week.

Last summer we made them into beet chips with a side of curried yogurt dip and they were good. Really, addictively, shockingly good and I have to admit, I kind of loved them. So maybe, perhaps I don't hate beets as much as I think I do. In an effort to push my own culinary boundaries as much as I push the KC kids' and in penance for the cruel avocado trick I played on Looly last week: Beet hummus.

At least it's purple. That's something. Now, the original recipe did not call for garbanzo beans but I felt I had to include them both to warrant the "hummus" title as well as to convince myself that there was plenty of stuff in there that I like. I know. I can be very grown-up sometimes.

Once the beets are cooked, this hummus comes together so fast. I literally threw it together in the 5 minutes it took the kiddos to rescue their bikes and sidewalk chalk from the backyard before a thunderstorm was scheduled to roll through. By the first rumble, we were crunching naan chips with this lovely bowl of vibrant purple dip.

And guess what? It was good. Seriously good. The beets add a faint sweetness to the garlicky, lemony, creamy hummus with absolutely no dirt flavor to speak of. The cumin and tahini give the whole medley a satisfying warm nuttiness making it the perfect compliment for crisp mild vegetables or salty chips. And the color, well, you cannot beat that color. So, beets, perhaps there's something between us after all.

Beet Hummus
adapted from Simply Recipes

1/2 pound beets
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp tahini
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cut the greens off the beets and reserve them for another recipe or discard. Scrub the beets in cold water. Place them in a medium pot with and inch or two of water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork (about 30 minutes). Remove the beets from the cooking liquid and let cool slightly. Once their cool enough to handle, it should be fairly easy to pinch the skins off with your fingers. If you don't want purple hands, where gloves. Discard the skins.

Place the cooked, peeled beets in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth, thick and creamy. Serve with toasted pita bread, sliced vegetables, or naan crisps.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pears with Balsamic Drizzle

I admit it. This one's just for me. And for you, of course. Pull up a chair.

My kids won't tolerate anything orange and mushy. There's no meat here and sweet potatoes don't rank high in Mufasa's diabetes-fighting, low-carb diet. But, sometimes we need to do a little something for ourselves, yes?

Consider this. You're cooking for a group and needed to accommodate various food allergies and sensitivities. Simple roasted vegetables are a safe bet. Roasted sweet potatoes with pears and balsamic vinegar are not only super tasty and make the house smell like pie, but are also free of the top 8 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish) and gluten-free too!

And no pressure but one of these really seems to help the process along. Ignore the Jack Daniels glass. He's not invited to this party.

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in an ounce of bourbon, an ounce of fresh lemon juice, top with good ginger beer (here's my fave) and garnish with a lemon wedge. Do it! Do it! Just saying. All it needs is a snappy name. Suggestions?

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pears with Balsamic Drizzle

2 or 3 sweet potatoes
2 large firm pears (I used Bartletts but the choice is yours. Cored, halved Seckels would be lovely)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Good quality, aged syrupy balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub the sweet potatoes and slice them into wedges about 1 & 1/2-inches thick leaving the skin intact. Put them on a sheet pan. Douse with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 20 minutes until they're starting to soften but not yet done.

While the potatoes roast, core, stem, and slice the pears into wedges about 1-inch thick. Add the pears to the sheet pan with the potatoes. Drizzle on the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss the pears and sweet potatoes gently. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more until the sweet potatoes are done and the pears are tender. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Season with more salt and pepper and serve warm.

Crowd-Pleasing Middle Eastern Salad

Ok, y'all. In case you haven't noticed, it's Food Allergy Awareness Week. Also in case you haven't noticed, food allergies, or more accurately, cooking delicious meals for those with food allergies, is kind of my wheelhouse. And that, my friends, is why I love this salad.

Peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, easily dairy-free (just skip the feta), soy-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, and wheat-free (without the pita), this Middle Eastern Salad is a bright, tangy, colorful crowd pleaser of a side.  

Middle Eastern Salad

1 English cucumber
20 grape tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, sliced, white and light green parts only
1 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pickled beets, chopped
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground sumac, or smoked paprika, to sprinkle on top

1. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and beets. Squeeze lemon juice over veggies and drizzle on olive oil. Toss to coat.
2. Portion onto plates and top (or not, depending on dairy tolerance) with feta cheese. Sprinkle a little sumac or paprika on top. Serve with pita triangles or rice crackers, as appropriate.

And as always, read your labels. I used Rick's Picks Phat Beets which state they are manufactured in a facility that handles wheat, soy, milk, peanuts, and tree nuts. For us, that's a risk I'm willing to take. But if you're not sure about the severity of the allergies of the crowd you're cooking for, the best thing you can do is keep all of your labels handy.

Lucy's at Starbucks

Since my daily trek for coffee is absolutely required to avoid fits of foot-stomping, hair-pulling, and whining - all mine of course, my children are intimately familiar with Starbucks.  They frequently flop a shopping bag over one arm and scamper toward the front door asking me for my coffee order in our version of play shopping.  Looly whips up grande non-fat lattes and triple caramel machiattos on the pink plastic kitchen stove.  Bean and Roo know no greater object with which to whither away fifteen blissful minutes in the stroller than a green plastic splash guard.  Yeah, we're regulars. 

As the kids have grown, they're no longer satisfied with Mom's coffee run being just for Mom.  They've come on strong with ever-increasing demands of their own. 

Looly: "I want a vanilla milk."

me: "You just had milk."

Looly: "Can I get a scone?"

me: "Do you know what a scone is?"

Looly: "No."

me: "Why do you want one if you don't even know what it is?"

Looly: "I'm dying to find out!"

How can I resist such reasoning? And honestly, who am I to argue with my Starbucks Black Card in pocket and steaming cup in hand?  So imagine my delight that Starbucks is now offering a selection of milk-, egg-, nut-, and gluten-free cookies!  They're called Lucy's and they're not half bad.  The cookies are a bit crisp, so Roo just sucks on his more than actually eating it.  The real beauty is that now I can satisfy the girls with "Starbucks snacks" and not worry about who left theirs in the stroller, or who dropped crumbs that might migrate to Roo's mouth somehow.  He can scavenge for bits and pieces all he likes and it's perfectly safe.