Beet it

Have you heard that Michael Jackson passed away? 

Seriously, Michael’s passing is awfully sad.  But I truly believe some good as come from it.  Due to Michael’s internal struggle with self, and his openness about it, society has been forced to engage in many important conversations.

Drug abuse, growing up as a famous child, self-confidence, self-identification, child abuse, child custody…it goes on.

In fact, after my exercise class this past week, my instructor gave a very motivational speech featured around “Man in the Mirror” by MJ.

Her message?  You cannot control those around you.  You can only change yourself and your response to others around you.  And although Michael Jackson preached a great message, he only had it partially right.  The song was good in theory but he took the message too far when he began to surgically alter his appearance. 

You can only change yourself to a certain extent.

You cannot change how your body shapes and morphs as you gain and lose weight.

You cannot change your height, your shoe size, your hair texture.

You must learn to accept these things.  And grow stronger as a result.

I am so grateful that my spin class brought this message up, because since MJ’s passing, all I’ve been able to think about is beets.

Yes, the shunned and unappreciated root vegetable.

With all these “Beat it” renditions filtering through the media, how could I ever get this veggie out of my mind?

So, in honor of MJ, I made a delicious beet hummus recipe.  Use it as a dip, sandwich spread, face cream…just as you would any hummus recipe.

Or, however, incorporate it into a main dish.  Here I present you a portobello mushroom topped with the hummus served over a bed of wilted beet greens (don’t waste beet leaves!) with balsamic vinegar.

To conquer this recipe, you must be brave, bold, and beautiful.  Just like Michael.

Beet it! (2.5 cups, adapted from here)
1-2 medium beets, roasted
-prepare roasted beets by placing in an oven heated to 400* for 40-50 min, depending on beet size, until soft when a   knife is inserted.  Peel beets after roasting.
2 cups of chickpeas
1 small yellow or white onion, chopped finely
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 cup tahini
1 Tablespoon cumin
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.

In a food processor or blender, pulse beets, onions, garlic, and chickpeas together until smooth.  Add tahini, cumin, and salt.  Pulse.  Scrape down the sides.  With the processor turned on, add the lemon juice and olive oil mixture until the hummus is at your desired consistency.