I love hummus and always have a fresh batch in the fridge. My son, in particular, can never pass it up. I also regularly have a tray of veggies roasting. It just seemed natural to purée it all together, especially when I have my Vitamix always at the ready (it’s honestly the most used appliance in my kitchen). Your choices can change seasonally- I say use this recipe as a base and experiment away! It’s delicious, nutritious and always fun to dip away with reckless abandon. You’ll find that different veggies have varied water and fiber content. This is easy to adjust for. For example, with broccoli, I like to increase the tahini and when I use beets I find I need less cooking liquid or water. You will also need to be brave with seasoning. The chick peas eat it up, so don’t be shy! This recipe feeds a crowd (I had the Super Bowl on the brain when I developed this), so cut back proportionally for smaller quantities. The Tahini Hummus base stands on its own if you’d simply like to stop there. Also, it will keep refrigerated in sealed glass jars for 3 days. Serve with an assortment of crudités, assorted toasted breads (I like to brush with olive oil before toasting), flatbreads, crackers and chips so there’s something for everyone!

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Roasted Vegetable Hummus Four Ways

(Yields approximately 12 cups)

Notes-

•roasting the veggies instead of steaming adds greater depth of flavor

•chick peas eat up seasoning so taste and adjust as you go. They especially love salt and lemon.

•if you are unable to find preserved lemon paste (I use one by New York Shuk), you may grill or pan sear lemon halves cut side down until it’s caramelized and go with that! Every element of seasoning and caramelization creates another layer of flavor.

•vacuum packed beets are a great alternative to roasting of you need a shortcut.

•if you plan to use the leftover aquafaba (chick pea cooking water) for meringue, mayo... omit the baking soda.

Ingredients-

2 heaping cups dried chick peas, soaked overnight (or 3 1/2-15 Oz cans, rinsed and drained- reserve the liquid)

1 cup tahini, plus 2 Tbs

3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 tsp baking soda

2+ tsp sea salt

Several turns fresh ground pepper

3 Tbs preserved lemon paste or juice from grilled lemons

Large handful parsley, thick stems removed.

1 tsp cumin, divided

1 tsp Aleppo pepper

1 Tbs cider vinegar

1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp grated ginger

For garnish:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Optional-

Sumac

Olives

Za’atar

Sesame seeds

(or anything you like!)

Make your base...

Method-

1- Rinse and drain soaked chick peas and add to a large saucepan (about 4 qt) and cover with cold water by 3 inches and add baking soda. Bring to a boil and allow to go for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until beans are tender, about 15-30 minutes. Time will depend upon the size and age of the dried beans. Check as you go and skim off loose skins and foam and discard. If you should need to add more water- bring water to a boil before adding to maintain temperature. When beans are tender, remove with a slotted spoon and reserve cooking liquid. Do not toss! Allow beans to cool a bit so you can handle them without burning.

2- Add tahini and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and cooked beans to the carafe of your Vitamix along with the lemon juice salt and pepper. Turn on low and begin puréeing, increasing speed as you go- I usually take this up to a medium high speed. If purée is too thick, add more of the cooking water to achieve desired consistency. If using canned beans, I frequently add water. You may use some of the liquid from the can, but taste it first to make sure it agrees with your flavors and isn’t too salty or bitter.

3- Adjust hummus for seasoning and set aside.

Roasted Kabocha, Broccoli and Beets

8 Oz broccoli, cut into florets

8 Oz kabocha, cut into chunks

2 medium beets, also about 8 Oz

3+ Tbs olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp of the cumin

1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1- Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

2- Arrange veggies on baking sheet in “zones” making it's easy to remove each as it reaches cooking peak cooking time. Toss and massage with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp cumin on kabocha. And wrap beets* loosely in aluminum foil and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar (*skip this if using vacuum sealed).

3- Broccoli will cook in 15 minutes.

Kabocha will be tender and caramelized in 25 minutes.

Beets will become fork tender in 45 mins-1 hour (or you may used vacuum packed, which is what I frequently do. These may be found in the produce section). If after one hour, they are not yet tender, continue cooking and check back in 15 minutes.

Roasted Broccoli Hummus

1- add approximately 1/4 cup cooking liquid or water, 1/4 of the hummus base, an additional 2 Tbs tahini, the preserved lemon paste and the roasted broccoli to your carafe. Begin blending in low and slowly increase speed to achieve desired purée. If too thick use the tamp to get it going and add water or cooking liquid a Tbs at a time. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Remove from carafe and rinse out.

Roasted Kabocha Hummus

1- add Kabocha, 1/4 of the hummus base, 1 Tbs cider vinegar, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin and blend as above adding liquid if needed. When desired purée is reached, adjust seasoning and set asid. Rinse out carafe.

Roasted Beet Hummus

1- add beets, 1/4 of the hummus base, 1 Tbs balsamic and 1 tsp of ginger and blend. Blend as above until desired consistency is achieved. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in separate bowls and garnish with olive oil and whatever else you like. Surround by a mix of crudités, breads, crackers and chips. Enjoy!!!

Sponsored by Vitamix and The feedfeed however all opinions are my own.