red beet humus

Two of my favorite things come together in this red beet humus – beets and tahini – black tahini to be more precise.

Have you ever tried black tahini?

I am sure you are familiar with white or brown tahini. But have you ever used black tahini? A few months ago, I found it in an Asian store close by. I was curious what this black tahini tastes like and how I can use it in my cooking, baking, or for even for drinks?

What even is black tahini?

Well, black tahini is made from roasted black sesame seeds. The roasting process reduces the bitterness and adds a nutty flavor. The general taste I would say is similar to white tahini. But in contrast to the white, black tahini has a deeper, nuttier, slightly bitter, more intense flavor. But the biggest and most obvious difference is the color! And as an artist, I was very intrigued by its deep, solid, shiny, black color – kind of unusual for food, right? 

But, I also wanted to find out about its nutritional values.

The nutritional composition of all sesame seeds is similar whether they are white, brown or red. And, so are the black sesame seeds. They are all a great source of vegan protein, nourishing vitamins and minerals such as copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin B1, amino acids, selenium, melanin, and dietary fiber.

But, on top of all this, these tiny black sesame seeds contain a lot of natural antioxidants and anti-aging benefits. And, as Research  suggests, that the antioxidants in black sesame seeds can counteract or even neutralize the effect of free radicals that are damaging the cells and speeding the aging process. And one tablespoon of un-hulled seeds contains about 88mg of calcium. That’s more than a glass of milk! Plus, the high zinc content increases the mineral density of the bones.

So, where can you get black tahini?

You can find black tahini in Asian stores but you also can get it here. But if you do not find it, you also can make your own tahini if you have black sesame seeds at home.

Just gently dry-roast 1 Cup of seeds in a pre-heated cast iron pan and stir constantly until they start popping and you smell a delicious roasted aroma (about 2-3 minutes). Let the seeds first cool a bit. And in a blender start grinding them by adding one Tbsp. of olive oil until it turns into sesame butter, called tahini. This will take a few minutes. So be patient! You best can store the black tahini in a jar. It keeps fresh for a few months and does not have to be kept in the fridge. It might release some oil on top after a while. Just stir it before the next use.

Now, lets get to the beets.

Do you like beets? I love beets in all their many varieties you can prepare them. They are so versatile and can be used raw, for juice, or in a smoothie. You can use beets cooked, pickled, fried, or even in sweet baking.

No matter whether red or golden beets, they have an impressive nutritional profile. To name just a few: They are low in calories, yet high in valuable vitamins and minerals. In fact, they contain a bit of almost all the vitamins and minerals that you need. They promote digestive health and keep you regular due to their high content of fiber.

Beets have also been shown to particularly improve blood flow to the frontal lobe of the brain, an area associated with higher-level thinking, such as decision-making and working memory. And for the endurance work-out enthusiasts among you, red beets seemed to improve the endurance when eaten before your work-out. And if you would like to read more about the health benefits, you can click here. It’s pretty impressive.

mindfully choose your beets!

I highly recommend to go for organic ones to avoid the pesticides in conventionally grown beets. Plus organic veggies are proven to have a much higher content of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Choose beets that feel heavy for their size with fresh, un-wilted green leafy tops still attached. This way you can tell they are fresh.

But also, the cooking time is important to keeps their nutrients intact.

Keep the cooking time to no longer than 15 minutes. I recommend cooking the beets in an Instant Pot. It is so quick and easy. You should put an Instant Pot on your wish list for the holidays! I just love this new tool of mine! More on that soon.

But if you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, steam the beets in a regular pot or in the microwave. If your beets are bigger than tangerine-size, just cut them in half or quarters  that they are done in about 15 minutes. They do not have to be very soft for the red beet humus. Now, before we go to the recipe, you might ask

 how to serve the red beet humus?

To serve the humus, put it on a plate, topped with some olive oil and top with some crushed sesame seeds. To crush the seeds, you can use either this Japanese suribachi mortar with a wooden pistil or this sesame seed grinder. Sprinkle these ground seeds on top of the red beet humus and add a few crushed red-hot chili flakes.

Red beet humus is delicious with fresh veggies like carrots or celery stalks. And it goes well with pita bread  or pita chips, as well as served with falafel.

Print

red beet humus

this red beet humus with black tahini is loaded with nutrients and anti-oxidants and so beautiful with it's deep purple color

Course appetizer, brunch, snack, spreads and dips

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword black tahini humus with red beets, humus, red beet humus, red beet humus with black tahini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

red beet humus

• 1 C cooked chickpeas drained
• 1 C steamed red beets about 3 small or 1 big red beet
• 1/3 C black tahini
• 4 Tbsp. lemon juice more to taste
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp salt more to taste
• 1/2 tsp chili or cayenne powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp. coriander powder

for serving

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp crushed black sesame seeds
• 1 pinch red hot chili flakes
• pita bread or pita chips

Instructions

1. in a food processor add all the ingredients for the humus and blend until it is creamy and fully blended. If it is too solid, just add 1 tsp. of chickpea water at a time until it has a nice, soft, and creamy consistency 

   

2. adjust to taste with the spices, lemon juice and salt. 

3. put the red beet humus on a plate. Sprinkle olive oil, crushed black sesame seeds and red-hot chili flakes on top

4. serve with carrots, celery stalks,  pitta bread or pitta chips and falafel

   

Recipe Notes

Instead of the red beets you also use golden beets for beet humus and also replace the black for white tahini.