Golden Beet Dip

This is a delicious, colorful beet dip that I came across a while ago. Visually it is bright and warming, particularly nice around this time of year when sometimes we don't see as much color around us as we would like.

Beets are, of course, a root vegetable and a rich source of fiber and soil minerals like manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, iron as well as Vitamin C and polyphenols, the latter two nutrients, being potent antioxidants. Traditionally we tend to think of beets as red, but as you can see from the pictures, there are also is a lovely golden version of this awesome vegetable. Yellow beets can be a bit sweeter than their red counterparts and are every bit as nutritious. They are a wonderful addition to our meals' color palate and bring the elements of sunshine and light to us.

​Here's my recipe for a Roasted Yellow Golden Beet Dip.

Ingredients:
•  4 - 5 small yellow beets, roasted
•  3 cloves garlic, roasted
•  1/2 tsp. salt
•  3/4 tsp. coriander seeds
•  3/4 tsp. cumin seeds
•  1/2 tsp. turmeric
•  1/2 lemon juiced
•  1/3 cup cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes
•  1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub beets (with skin on), pierce with a fork in a few places on each beet and place in baking pan, covered with aluminum foil. Place in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes.

In the meanwhile, soak 1/3 cup cashews in cold, filtered water in a separate bowl for 30 minutes. After beets have been in oven for 30 minutes, add garlic cloves in with beets, leaving the skin on the cloves.

Place coriander and cumin seeds in a small baking dish and also place in oven. Roast both garlic and seeds for 5-8 minutes; make sure you don't burn the seeds! The seeds will probably be done before the garlic is. Remove seeds and cool.

Leave garlic in for 15 minutes and at that point, test beets also, by poking with a fork; you want the beets nice and soft so that they will purée. Once garlic and beets are done, remove from oven and cool slightly before peeling the beets. I usually peel them under cold running water as they do peel easier when they are still slightly warm.

Cut beets in smallish chunks and place in food processor along with peel garlic cloves, roasted seeds, salt, turmeric and drained cashews. Purée until smooth and drizzle slowly, 1/4 cup of oil into mixture. Taste for salt and add juice. Depending on how thick you want it, you may want to add more oil or not. Serve warm with roasted pita chips, bread or crackers. This will hold well in the fridge also and can be served cold.