Happy new year, friends! Hope you all had a great holiday break. We did a lot of things - visited both our families, got a little more settled into our new place, and hosted a little new year's eve party for our friends. Over the years, I've been using NYE as my party planning lab - I've tried out various dips, meatballs (I'm VERY proud of the meatball varieties I can produce), and cheese board additions. This year, I made a red beet hummus for my crudite and it tasted fantastic.

Most recipes call for roasting beets but I steamed mine - I do love a sheet pan with roasted vegetables but steaming is wholly underrated. It doesn't have to be something you do because you're on a diet - steaming vegetables also retains more of the natural flavor and nutrition. It's also faster and if you love somewhere warm and don't want to have your oven on for 45 mins at a time, steaming is your friend. 

If you're not used to making your own hummus, tahini is likely an ingredient you haven't purchased. Good news is that it's available at pretty much any grocery store and definitely on Amazon. Tahini is just ground up sesame seeds and aside from being a necessity for hummus, it's also a great base for salad dressings and even some baked goods - I'll share these recipes with you all over time! In the meantime, check out the recipe below for the most colorful dip!

Ingredients 

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 medium beet

Method

1. Steam the beet. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan and put a vegetable steamer on top. Put the cleaned beet inside and cover the steamer. Steam for 20-25 mins, until beet is fork-tender. I did not peel my beet before or after steaming and just scrubbed it well to remove the dirt and cut off the top.
2. Once cool, cut up the beet into eighths and add to a food processor or blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Finish your hummus with a little extra olive oil in the serving dish, if you desire, and serve! Goes great with raw vegetables, pita chips, or as a spread on sandwiches.