Beet Hummus
2 lbs red beets, rinsed
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ vegetable oil
1 cup tahini
1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Place beets in parchment paper. Pour olive oil over and sprinkle with salt. Cover with the parchment paper to create a ‘package.’ Roast beets in the oven at 425 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until fork tender.
- Once beets are fork tender, remove from oven and carefully remove skin. Use gloves or you will have red hands! Roughly chop the beets.
- In a food processor, add chopped beets, garlic, lemon juice, oil, tahini and salt.
- Puree until smooth. Add additional salt if desired.
- Serve with toasted pita or pita chips.
Kale Guacamole
4 to 5 leaves lacinato kale, chopped up fine
¼ cup lime juice
5 ripe avocados
½ small onion, chopped fine
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped fine
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Place the chopped kale in a bowl and add lime juice. Mix to cover the kale and let sit for 10 minutes.
- While the kale is marinating, mash the avocados in a bowl with onion, jalapeno, cilantro and salt.
- Add kale and lime juice mixture to the avocado and mix to combine.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Pico de Gallo
3 large tomatoes
1 large onion
½ bunch cilantro, stems removed
2 jalapenos
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon coarse salt.
- Chop tomatoes in a small dice and add to a large bowl.
- Mince onion and add to tomatoes
- Chop cilantro and add to mixture.
- Remove seeds from jalapeno and chop fine. Add to mixture.
- Add lime and salt and mix to combine.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Super French Onion Dip
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large white onions, cut in half moons and sliced thin
¼ cup dry sherry or marsala wine
2 cups sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
chopped chives, for garnish
- In a large pan, melt butter and oil. Add onions and cook on low heat.
- After 5 minutes, begin to mix the onions around the pan to encourage browning.
- Increase heat to medium and continue mixing. Once all the butter and oil are absorbed, add ½ cup of water.
- Continue to mix until all the water is absorbed and onions become dark brown, another 7 minutes.
- Once onions are dark brown, add sherry and mix to incorporate. Cook for two more minutes.
- Remove onions from the pan. Reserve a teaspoon of onion and pulse the rest in a food processor to create an onion jam.
- In a bowl, add sour cream, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix in the onion jam.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with reserved onion and chives.
- Serve with potato chips.