feel food club

easy snack

Better than Store-bought 15-minute beetroot hummus

by Kommentar verfassen

Hummus. We all know it – we all love it! That creamy, tangy goodness that we spread onto bread, enjoy in pita, top every bowl with and dip our veggies in to make them more delicious! A staple in most households – and still, most people buy it at the store while it is SO easy to make!

What is hummus?

Hummus is a dip or a spread that originated and nowadays is found in Middle Eastern cuisine. It has a very smooth consistency and is made out out chickpeas, tahini (which is a sesame paste), olive oil, garlic, and spices. It typically is enjoyed with some fresh Pita bread. Hummus is very popular among the vegan nutrition because it works great as a spread on bread or as a dairy free dip and is pretty healthy!

What is special about this dish?

Regular hummus, as I said is made out of chickpeas as its main ingredient. But this one is a little bit different and perfect for fall! Besides Chickpeas, the star of the show is beetroot. Beetroot is a quite popular ingredient to be added to hummus because its slightly sweet flavour just works in perfect harmony with the creaminess and tanginess of the hummus. So instead of plain hummus, we are switching things up a little bit and making a delicious beetroot hummus!

How do you make hummus?

The entire process is pretty simple, and will take you a maximum of 10 minutes. To make it, you definitely need canned chickpeas. It is possible to use dried ones, but you will have to cook those for 1,5-2 hours before being able to make the hummus, which is pretty time consuming! So I prefer to go for canned ones. You add those to a blender or a food processor (either works) along with a few other ingredients and blend it until it’s creamy. It really is this simple and does not ask for any other cooking!

The secrets to making a really good hummus

There are a few things you can look out for when making hummus to take it next level. First, use canned chickpeas or ones that are boiled really softly. Second, use a good Tahini. This is a sesame paste you can find at most supermarkets and has a runny consistency but I would recommend buying it at an asian store. The Tahini there is just more liquid and will make the hummus creamier! If you cannot make it to an asian store, I recommend at least checking the ingredients list. A good Tahini has Sesame seeds as its only ingredient.

My third tip is to preserve some aquafaba (this is the liquid the chickpeas come in when canned). Adding this will keep the hummus really creamy. My fourth, and last tip is to use a splash of vinegar. As weird as it may sound, it really makes a difference! It adds this tanginess that makes a hummus really good. Sometimes lemons are used, but I would really recommend doing some vinegar!

Is beetroot hummus healthy?

It definitely is! Chickpeas are very healthy since they are high in protein and high in fibre. The Tahini and Olive oil add some healthy unsaturated fats, which makes a great nutritional value for a dip! The beetroot adds some natural sweetness and vitamins! Another reason why it is loved by the food industry is because it is healthy!

How to best have it

Really with anything, you would have regular hummus with. On top of some toasted bread with some avocado, or to dip some veggies in. Also works great on top of (buddha) bowls, in pita bread or on top of a rice cracker. You can even just thin it out with water and lemon juice to make a salad dressing! So the options are endless… and all delicious!

I hope that you will love this recipe and I am sure you’ll be making this on repeat in your kitchen! A great & healthy fall food!

I hope that you will love this recipe and I am sure you’ll be making this on repeat in your kitchen! A great & healthy fall food!

Print

Better than Store-bought 15-minute beetroot hummus

The best creamy & delicious beetroot hummus ever. Better than any premade takeout version!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine arabian, middle eastern
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 5 servings
Calories 144 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 2 small beetroots (precooked)
  • 1 tbsp Tahini
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp vinegar (white wine vinegar works best)
  • 3-4 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid canned chickpeas come in)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder

How to

  1. Drain the chickpeas but preserve the liquid they were in. Add them to a blender along with all the other ingredients and 3-4 tbsp of that preserved liquid. Blend until smooth! If it is too firm, add more olive oil or aquafaba. But be aware that beetroot hummus will not be as creamy as normal hummus because of the beets in it! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Chocolate Coconut Almond Dates

by Kommentar verfassen

Are the perfect snack to get you motivated for the rest of the day. Chewy dates, rich chocolate, crunchy almond, and fresh coconut. This is the perfect combination to make a super simple 4 ingredient, 10 minute snack. This will get you through a long morning, an afternoon-low, or work out as a super delicious dessert. 

I got the idea to make this recipe when I was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Dates are from high importance there. Until the 1970´s they were the staple food for the inhabitants. While they are fasting, they only eat 2 dates a day. I did not know that and was blown away when I heared that. We visited a local date market, which was something I had never heard of before but it was real impressive. You could see how this food is super important in this part of the world. In the shop we went there were 18 (!!) different date sorts. I did not even know that there was more than one existing. We tried lots of them and then bought 2 different ones, Madjool and Ajwa. Madjool dates are larger, sweeter, and richer while Ajwa dates contain less sugar and are smaller. I really liked them both but for this recipe I used Ajwa dates because they are smaller, which I think is better as a snack. 

Choloate covered dates are no rarity in Arabia. You can find them everywhere and with almost everything; white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, matcha chocolate, camel milk chocolate (which I think is the most fancy hehe), soo many different types. Since we already had packed so much and bough 2kg of dates before, I decided not to buy any more but recreate them (as a healthier version) myself at home. 

So now I am back home and recreated them. I used the Ajwa dates, which are dried or course, dark vegan chocolate. The one I use is from HuKitchen, and is with all natural and healthy ingredients, and it is soooo good! Other than that I only use raw almonds and shredded coconut. This is as simple as it is. I love simple snacks because who likes to spend an hour in the kitchen with 100 ingredients when you are hungry or hangry RIGHT NOW. I can tell you, no one! 

Dates actually are a super healthy food, which made is possible for emirates to mainly eat those for hundreds of years. Dates contain 7 grams of fiber per 100g. This helps your digestion. There are lots of studies that show that eating dates increases your digestion. Moreover it helps you regulating your blood sugar levels. Plus dates are really high in antioxidants which protect your cells and reduce the risks of several deseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer or cancer (certain types). These are just some benefits of dates, but other than their health benefits, they are really delicious! Really!

I love pre-making this snack and just grab a few dates when I am hungry or pack some for work or school. I really like them when they are chilled and straight out of the fridge, because the chocolate is extra crunchy then, but they are delicious any way. I hope that you will like this recipe and enjoy it! If you do recreate it be sure to tag me on insta with @uneptcuisiniere or #uneptcuisiniere .

Enjoy, 

Katie // Une Petite Cuisiniere 

Print

Chocolate Coconut Almond Dates

A really delicious & healthy snack or dessert! Super simple and super good.

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine arabian, asian
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 16 dates
Calories 45 kcal

What you will need

  • 16 small Dates I like to use Ajwar dates (this equals about 150g)
  • 16 Almonds
  • 25 g chocolate
  • 2 tbsp shredded coconut

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Cut the dates in on one side (do not cut them in half totally!). Take out the seed and put an almond in it instead. Do the same with all of the dates.

  2. Stick/ squeez the size where the date had been cut in, together with your fingers, so it sticks together and it is closed.

  3. Melt the chocolate in a water bath or the microwave. Dip the dates in the molten chocolate as you like. You can completely dip them, you can dip the half horizontally or vertically, or whatever you wish. Then dip it in the coconut flakes. Place them on a plate and store in the fridge.

Notes

If you do not like coconut, do not use it. You can leave it out or substitute is with chia seeds or crushed nuts. The same accounts for the chocolate. You can also go for white chocolate, whole milk chocolate, or whatever you want.