OK you caught me, I lied! In my last post I said the next thing I would publish would be the raclette dinner party but, oops, I did not realize it was 5 Star Makeover time. So here is my February entry with BEETS as the theme. Raclette coming up next post!
Beets are such an underused vegetable. I actually really like them but I never buy beets. A lot of people fear them. Because of the color? Because of the earthy taste the older ones may have? Actually a fresh beet is quite sweet. One type of beet, the sugar beet, is processed into refined sugar and the sugar produced represents 10% of the Canadian sugar market. For this challenge I really wanted to play up the sweet factor and make the deep red/purple color shine.
Ξ Apples With Beet Hummus and Mint Yogurt Sauce Ξ
My creation was inspired by this staking recipe on a raw food recipes site…this is not a raw recipe though as the beets are cooked. My stack composition is with yellow apples, a Beet Hummus posted by Elise on Simply Recipes and a Mint Yogurt Sauce recipe. I removed all savory elements from the original recipes and I added sweet flavors. I really enjoyed this unique dish and its refreshing taste. I just don’t know if I would serve it as appetizer or as a dessert???
Cooking Beets: cut off any tops, scrub the roots clean, and peel once they have been cooked and cooled. In my opinion boiling is the worst way and roasting is the best. To roast, wrap them in aluminum foil and put on a baking tray in the oven. Cook them for 30-60 minutes on 400F, or until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Then there is the lazy way: place whole in a dish, pierce the skin and add 2 tablespoons of water. Cook on high for 9 to 12 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before cooling and peeling. Tip for hand stains: Clean any beet juice from your hands with a little lemon juice and soap.
Beet Hummus Recipe
- 1/2 pound cooked beets, cubed
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp brow sugar
- 1/3 tsp of ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- dash of sea salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and ingredients as desired. Chill and store in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups.
Mint Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 mango
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp honey
- dash of sea salt
Make the mint yogurt sauce by blending the mint, cilantro, mango, lime juice, yogurt, honey and salt until smooth.
Assembly
Slice 2 yellow apples about 1/8 in and brush with lime juice. Begin with one slice of apple. Top with 2 teaspoons of beet hummus. Top with another slice of apple. Top that with 2 more teaspoons of beet hummus and then a third slice of apple. Place a generous spoonful of mint yogurt sauce on the plate for each stack. Place the stacks on top. Place a small spoonful of the mint yogurt sauce on top of the third apple. Garnish with chopped mint and serve. Makes 6 portions.
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Hi Evelyne – such a fresh addition to the Beet Challenge, I love it! From the color to the texture, to the sweet element. Brava on this one! Ready for Junk Food?
LL
Agreed that beets are an underused veg in the kitchen. Love the flavors at play here.
Gorgeous flavors…these all work together so beautifully! And I just love the presentation…gorgeously done!
Another stunning beet dish. I am so impressed with this unique idea.
Great recipe! Love the hummus creation. Very unique. And I agree with you, it’s an underrated and underused vegetable. I hope to use it more as a result of the challenge.
Evelyn, this is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love beets and mint yogurt sauce sounds simply amazing. I love how you stack up everything and put the sauce on the top and bottom. VERY elegant!
Yes, a striking presentation of a great combination of flavors. Beet and apple slaw is an old favorite of mine and you have turned the idea on its lovely red ear. I am dreaming of that sauce on my beets.
PS I am like you, I completely spaced the short month and thought it was next week. DUH. I was lucky that I had decided on the dish the minute I heard beets or I would have been scrambling big time!!!
Wow, what a beautiful presentation! Love the colors and the flavors…beet hummus and mint yogurt sauce? Awesome!
Hope you are having a fabulous week Evelyne 🙂
Beautiful stacks! And so smart to pair the sweet beets with that minty yogurt sauce.
This is colourful and beautiful!
Interesting, I never would have thought that those flavors would go together.
I like the idea of beet hummus. It’s so colorful! It pairs well with apple. So, I’m sure with addition of mint yogurt sauce will make this dish a worth try!
You amaze me with your creativity! This is such a beautiful dish…and now I’m wanting to try beet hummus!
And 5-star presentation:)
I discovered beet hummus at a dinner party, it’s so pretty as well as tasty. I just took a regular chickpea type hummus and added cooked beet(s) to it. mus ttry it with the apples!
Gorgeous! And I love the texture of the layers too. Together with the mint yogurt sauce and apples, the dish must have tasted so refreshing and flavorful!
I’m a huge fan of beetroots and its a shame we can hardly ever find them here in Korea. As always, I’m stunned with your creativity. The plating is also gorgeous!
This is a beautiful dish with 3 interesting layers. The beet hummus fascinates me and the yogurt sauce seems to be a perfect pairing but it’s the addition of apple that brings it all together and makes it intriguing. Well done.
These are gorgeous, I really love your presentation. The pairing of beets with mint and apple sounds wonderful!
This looks like gourmet food! Lovely flavours and awesome presentation. Great post!
Very cool – the flavors, colors, presentation, and the fact that it could be a dessert or an appetizer 🙂 Sounds and looks so refreshing, too! I was a bit stymied by this ingredient for some reason and what I’ve seen so far has blown me away. Great job!
I love the idea of beet hummus, great flavor with the addition of cardamom, and the mint sauce pairs so nicely, very light and refreshing!