Hummus is Pretty in Pink

Awhile back, we roasted  up some tasty garbanzo beans to zap our good health with fiber and minerals. That bland little bean, which is part of the legume family… comes into its own, though, in the near Eastern dish known as hummus.

Let me introduce you to the Cinderella of the hummus crowd, a beet and garbanzo duo that knocks your slippers off!

This hummus recipe fits beautifully into my glass salver. It calls for only 2 tablespoons of oil, replacing the tahini and oil in other recipes. But its crowning glory comes from pickled beet. How something sour could deliver such a good taste sensation is beyond me.

Be sure to add the cumin, too, as this spice bumps this simple recipe up another notch. Although we usually only use a little, spices can pack in a lot of nutrition. Cumin provides many health benefits thanks to its fiber, thiamine, and a whole whack of minerals – Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Manganese. Wow!

Once you’ve dressed your hummus for the bowl, enjoy. Here are a few ideas for showing off your dainty.

Let it shine on a lunch-time salad plate

• Use it as a dip with your raw veggies at lunch.
• Spread it thick and creamy on a slice of whole grain toast, instead of jam.
• Use it instead of mayonnaise when building a sandwich.
• Mix a little with the yolks of hard-boiled eggs and serve up some sassy deviled eggs.
• Toss a spoonful into your scrambled eggs or omelets.
• Use it as a coating for oven-baked fish fillets.
• Mix it up with tuna or salmon instead of bread crumbs to make fish cakes.

Ruby Pink Hummus
Makes about 2 cups

• 1 pickled beet (about 3 ounces)
• 1/4 cup pickled beet juice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 19-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons  sesame seed oil
• Juice of 1 smallish lemon (up to 1/4 cup)
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp or more of cumin
• toasted pine nuts and chopped green onion to garnish

1. Process beet, garlic, chickpeas, beet juice, and oil in a food processor until it becomes a smooth paste.
2. With processor running, add lemon juice.  Check consistency. If it is too thick, stream in more pickled beet juice.
3. Season with a little salt and a lot of cumin, to taste.

Nutrition

Serving of 1/4 cup: Calories (kcal) 130.0, Fat (g) 4.9, Saturated Fat (g) 0.6,
Sodium (mg) 284.8, Potassium (mg) 168.7, Carbohydrate (g) 18.1 Fibre (g) 3.2, Protein (g) 3.8, vitamin C 3.2, Calcium (mg) 28.1, Folate (DFE) 54.0

Legumes and weight loss theory

This dish is ideal for cycle 2 of the 17-day diet. That’s when you start adding legumes back into your meal planning.

The idea is to confuse your metabolism by giving it a higher number of calories one day, followed by a day of low calories from foods in cycle 1. Going back and forth between higher calories, then a lower amount, keeps you from plateauing. You should continue to lose weight, Dr. Mike says.

Personal results

It’s February 19th and I’ve just finished cycle 2. I enjoyed the extras and the variety. But going back and forth between high- and low-calorie days confused not only my body, but also my poor little mind! Is this an on or off day?

Weight loss in cycle 2 slowed considerably. I lost only 2 additional pounds. That makes it a pound a week, which isn’t all that bad. I’m satisfied that the trend is still downwards. And I now have just 10 pounds more to go, to reach my goal. On to cycle 3!!!

Beet Links

• Vinny Grette’s best vinaigrettes – Learn the basics with Vinny’s beet and apple juice vinaigrette.
• The Queen’s Beets – let them eat cake – Make a moist, delectable chocolate cake using beets and stevia to reduce the fat and sugar in every slice.