Beet And Almond Dip With Toasted Pita Strips Recipes

BEET DIP

Steps:

• Put the beets in a small baking pan with a small amount of water.
• Roast in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
• Peel and cut in half.
• Add beets, garlic, yogurt, olive oil and chili powder in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.
• Garnish with feta, hazelnuts, shallots and green onions.

TOASTED PITA CHIPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut each pita bread in quarters and each quarter in half to make 8 triangles. Place them in a single layer on a sheet pan and sprinkle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp, turning once.

BEET, CHICKPEA, AND ALMOND DIP WITH PITA CHIPS

Steps:

• Cook beet in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain; place in processor. Add garbanzo beans, 3/4 cup oil, almonds, and garlic. Blend until smooth. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and blend well. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional vinegar, if desired. Transfer dip to medium bowl. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush pita breads on both sides with oil; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cut each bread into 8 wedges. Arrange wedges on rimmed baking sheets. Bake until lightly brown and crisp, about 12 minutes. Cool chips on sheets.
• Place dip in center of platter. Surround with chips and serve.

MUTABBAL SHAMANDAR (BEET-TAHINI DIP)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a medium bowl, coat the beets in the oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Tear four lengths of aluminum foil and tightly wrap each beet individually in the foil. Roast the beets in the oven for about 1 hour, until caramelized and tender (a knife or cake tester should go through them with little or no resistance). Remove the beets from the oven and cool in the foil.
• For this next step, I save old towels I don't mind staining. When cool enough to handle, remove the beets from the foil, wrap each beet in a towel, and rub the peels away.
• Coarsely chop the beets and place them in a food processor or blender. Add the garlic, chile, lemon juice, cumin, and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and blend for about 5 minutes, until creamy and smooth. Slowly drizzle in the tahini and continue blending until the tahini is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste. If you want a thicker spread, blend in more tahini, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• When ready to serve, scoop the mixture onto a serving plate, drizzle it with the oil, and garnish it with the herbs.

BEET DIP WITH LABNEH

Steps:

• Put the beets, whole walnuts, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, chile flakes, garlic and salt into a food processor or blender. Purée on high until beets and nuts are finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, and blend again, until the mixture gets slightly smoother. Add the olive oil, and blend again, scraping down the sides, until mixture forms a coarse purée. Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice, if desired.
• Spoon labneh into a bowl, smoothing it, then heap the beet dip on top. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil and chopped walnuts; grate some lemon zest on top. Serve with pita and cucumbers for dipping.

BEET, CHICKPEA AND ALMOND DIP

Steps:

• Cook beets in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and place into food processor, add garbanzo benas, almonds, oil and garlic and blend until smooth. Add vinegar and blend, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve with pita chips or veggies for dipping.