First time I made this dish (or a side dish as some really hungry people out there might consider this) all I heard was – you are ready to get married. Okay, that was not the first time I heard that specific statement to be honest, but let me disappoint and surprise you – no one is about to get married here, no. Something better is about to happen – I am going to post this recipe here, finally. Plus, if you keep reading, you will learn my famous hummus recipe. Because, if you follow me for a while now – you will know – I used to ask myself can you actually date hummus since that was all I was doing. Making and eating hummus, basically.
I consider this recipe to be really easy because all you need to do is peel, wash and chop your vegetables. Actually the hardest part is to go out there in the wild (market/supermarket) and and get all the root vegetables you need. That is why, from now on you should do what my mama always does. And she taught me well to do that too. When going shopping you should always buy some extra root vegetables such as celery root, colorful carrots, turnips, parsnips, kohlrabi. They are really inexpensive and that way you will always have them on hand to make a vegetable soup, broth for your risotto, for mash, to steam them or roast them – just like a did here. This way, you will eat them once a week, ar least. They might not be the sexiest ingredients to cook with but with a little imagination they can become sexy and delicious for sure. Root vegetables are low in calories and high in antioxidants. Each one contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals in surprisingly high amounts such as vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium. They are packed with fiber (help with weight loss) and provide complex carbs and starch (help fight carb cravings -sugar), they can lower cholesterol, improve heart health and can fight cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Now that I sold root veggies to you, let’s get to the recipe – shall we?
In this recipe I used (serves 4 people):
- 2 beetroots
- 1 big orange sweet potato
- 2 small white sweet potatoes
- 1 big carrot
- 2 purple onions
- 1 clereliac
- 1 parsnip
Peel the veggies, except for the sweet potatoes (extra fiber + it is delicious), wash them and chop. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bit of cayenne pepper, mediterranean herbs (oregano, basil, thyme – fresh or dried, works both ways) and two tbs freshly squeezed orange juice (this will help veggies to caramelize a bit). Mix everything, spread onto the baking sheet and bake/roast in the 200°C preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
*5 minutes towards the end I added pickled artichokes because I wanted them to warm up and roast slightly.
I served the vegetables on two spoonfuls of hummus that goes so well with them and is a great source of protein. Next I added baby spinach because I am a firm believer you should add leafy greens (great source of iron) to every (well, almost) meal, or every meal possible. I sprinkled everything with toasted sesame seeds (you can also use chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds), to make this meal even more balanced and because we need those essential fats.
*Feel free to treat this as a side dish and serve with meat, fish or whatever pleases you.
Ivana’s Hummus Recipe:
- 400g washed canned or cooked chickpeas
- half a lemon juice
- 1 tbs tahini paste
- 1 tbs roasted sesame seeds
- 1 tsp grounded flax seeds
- 1 tbs oilve oil
- 1-2 tbs water
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- optional: garlic powder or fresh garlic
- optional: if adding fresh garlic add freshly chopped parsley (helps with the delicious garlic breath)
- optional: lemon peel (just a tiny bit), but only if using 100% organic lemons
In the past I used to be patient and I would peel every single chickpea to get rid of the skin since it is not easy to digest and it might get you bloated. I don’t do that anymore but if you have extra time, you absolutely can. After doing or skipping this not really essential step you want to put sesame and flax seeds in the high speed blender and pulse them few times (you can skip this part) add the rest and blend until smooth and creamy. Don’t add all the lemon juice and water immediately (I love my hummus quite citrusy) you want to add the rest of if if you need it. You might even need a bit more water and olive oil. It is completely up to you and your taste buds.
No blender – no problem!
I know, I hear you. Maybe your blender is not strong enough or you don’t have one. I am here for you, don’t worry! Just mash the chickpeas with fork, add the rest of ingredients and mix all together until satisfied with the result. This way your hummus will get a texture, it might not be perfect for dipping (that depends also on how angry you were whey you started with mashing, and this also makes a great stress relief), but it will be great as a spread for your snack or breakfast. I used to make my hummus like this for a while and I love it – sometimes I crave it exactly like that.
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