Roasted Beet Hummus - Pretty In Pink

This hummus has got a lot going for it from its pretty color to the way the lemon and garlic provide a perfect foil for the sweet, earthy flavor of the roasted beets and the nuttiness of the chickpeas to the added folate, vitamin C, fiber, manganese and potassium the beets add to the protein-packed hummus.

Add some cut up veggies and a pita and you have a hearty, filling, super healthy meal. Or make this hummus as part of a mezze-style spread and invite friends over for dinner.

I got the idea from some store-bought roasted beet hummus that I tried at a friend's house. I had to be practically pulled away from the hors d'oeuvres table, cracker still in hand, happily spoiling the lovely meal she had prepared for us.

It's easy to make, too, especially if you happen to have a roasted beet lying around. Sadly, I did not have any roasted beets in the fridge so I went out and bought some since the ones in our garden are not ready to harvest just yet. Then I roasted 'em but good, slipped the skins off, cut them up and tossed them into the Cuisinart with a bunch of garlic.

I've also become a bit of a chickpea snob so I soaked a couple cups of dried garbanzos over night (so I would have enough leftover beans to freeze - makes it so easy later on) and made the hummus after cooking the beans the next day. But there is NO SHAME IN USING A CAN OF CHICKPEAS. Just make sure to get the kind in the BPA-free cans if you go that route.

The cooked chickpeas joined the beets and garlic in the Cuisinart along with some tahini paste, salt and lemon juice. A little blitzing and this lovely, smooth, salmon-colored hummus was ready to eat.

The recipe below is flexible so you should feel free to adapt it to your liking - if you love garlic, add more. If you like the beet flavor, add more. If tahini is your thing, go crazy. It's just hummus, we're not baking anything.

-- print recipe --
Roasted Beet Hummus
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

* 1 large or 2 small beets, scrubbed with greens and tops removed
* 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15 oz can, mostly drained
* Juice of 1 large lemon
* 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
* 2-3 Tbsps tahini paste
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Begin by roasting the beets. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the scrubbed, trimmed beets in a generous pouch of tinfoil, drizzle them with olive oil and fold the foil over them to form a neat, enclosed little package. Place the package on a baking sheet (preferably one you do not care overmuch about as it may end up getting some charred beet juice baked on to it), place it on the rack and bake for roughly 60 minutes, until the beets are tender when poked with a fork. When they're done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool, then slip the skins off with your fingers or a knife and slice them into quarters.

2. Place the beets in the bowl of the food processor and add all the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Blend until smooth, drizzling the olive oil in as you go.

3. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed adding more lemon juice, salt, tahini or garlic according to your likes. If it feels too thick, add a bit more oil and a little water and blend until fully combined. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

You might also like:

Cumin-Scented Quinoa with Grated Beets & Curried Chickpeas

Spicy Sweet Moroccan-Inspired Chickpea Spread with Blood Orange & Chipotles

Hummus with Caramelized Onions & Garlic Topped With Beets, Pine Nuts & Greek Yogurt

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Leeks and Béchamel

I've had this recipe bookmarked in my dog-eared copy of Andrea Chesman's excellent Recipes from the Root Cellar for about six years. But now that I've finally made this lovely lasagna, I will be making it often.

It's a perfect winter meal - elegant and hearty at the same time. The combination of sweet, nutty roasted squash, mellow leeks, sage and garlic-infused béchamel, and gooey, melted Parmesan cheese makes it very hard to stop eating... In fact, next time, I will get out my HUGE lasagna pan and double the recipe to ensure leftovers.

Please do NOT be intimidated by the fancy-sounding béchamel sauce - it's not hard to make. Once you've made it once, you'll realize there's nothing to be scared of, even if it does sound frighteningly French.

You start by roasting butternut squash and leeks until they're soft and caramelized.

While the vegetables are roasting, you make a garlicky roux by sautéeing garlic in butter then stirring in the flour and browning it for a couple minutes.

Then you turn that roux into a béchamel by whisking in several cups of milk, bringing it to a boil briefly and adding the dried sage and white wine. It should thicken up nicely.

Assembly is easy, just schmear some béchamel in the bottom of the pan, put a layer of lasagna noodles (I used no-cook) over it, do another schmear, top with a layer of roasted vegetables and a blizzard of Parmesan cheese and repeat as many times as you have ingredients for.

Cover with tinfoil and bake for half an hour, then remove the foil and bake a little longer to achieve maximum bubbling and browning. Cut and serve with a salad and some bread.

If you don't already have a copy of Recipes from the Root Cellar, I encourage you to get one! It's one of my three most-used cookbooks along with Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and the good old Joy of Cooking.

-- print recipe --
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Leeks and Béchamel
Serves 6

Ingredients

For the lasagna
* 1 large butternut or other winter squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeds removed and cut into small cubes
* 3 leeks, rinsed trimmed and sliced
* 3 Tbsps olive oil
* 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
* 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the béchamel sauce
* 6 Tbsps organic butter
* 3 3/4 cups organic milk
* 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
* 6 Tbsps all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 tsp dried sage
* 1 tsp dried thyme
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Mound the squash and leeks on a baking sheet, drizzle with the oil, salt and pepper and toss thoroughly with your hands until everything is well-coated. Arrange in a single layer and bake, turning once or twice to avoid burning for 25-30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and browned. Remove pan from the oven and lower the heat to 350.

2. While the veggies are roasting, make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about two minutes. Whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste (a roux) and cook, whisking constantly for about one minute. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Bring to a slow boil, stir in the wine and sage and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

3. Assemble the lasagna: spread half a cup of the béchamel in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Lay three noodles over the bottom of the pan. Pour more of the sauce over the noodles then top with a third of the roasted squash and leeks and a quarter of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat until you've used up the veggies and noodles. Spread the remaining sauce and sprinkle whatever cheese you have left on top.

4. Cover the pan with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to brown the top. Remove and let stand for five minutes before cutting and serving.

You might also like:

• Butternut Squash Ravioli with Pinenuts, Browned Butter & Sage
• Fall Harvest Vegetable Lasagna
• Kaddo Bourani - Baked Pumpkin with Minted Yogurt and Spiced Beef

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Pomegranate Roasted Eggplant with Toasted Pecans & Chives

Although I have become much more adventurous in my cooking over the years, I am not exactly what I would call a powerhouse of invention. I mostly try things that look good to me and tweak them to my liking. Which is fine. But every once in a while, I come up with something all my own and I get all puffed up with pride. My Creation...

This is just such a one and it is really delicious. It was inspired by the long, thin, dark purple, little beauties our three Japanese eggplant plants are churning out of late. Gorgeous and tasty and so very fresh. I love walking outside my door to gather food that I then translate into a meal with no time for the vegetables herbs and fruits to languish in between. It is the ultimate luxury for someone who likes food...

I have loved pomegranate molasses every since my first taste. It is at once sweet and tart with a rich, fruity flavor. It's quite good eaten by the spoonful,but also does tremendous things for a lot of different foods (click for some inspiring ways to use this fantastic stuff.) And roasted eggplant is most definitely one of them.

I cut up the eggplants into little finger-length wedges of roughly equivalent size so that they would roast evenly. Then I put them in a colander, salted them liberally and left them to drain for a while (longer is better but don't be put off by that if you're in a rush, it will still taste good.)

Then I gave them a little rinse and tossed them right on the baking sheet with a lot of olive oil, a healthy drizzle of pomegranate molasses, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some garlic powder. The purists among you are more than welcome to mince or press some fresh garlic if garlic powder is distasteful to you, of course, but I love the ease and the way it kind of just disappears into the mix of flavors.

Then into the oven, which I had preheated to 400 degrees, to roast for a good 45 minutes or so, turning regularly to avoid anything burning or cooking unevenly. The end result is a wonderfully caramelized mess of nutty, sweet, tart eggplant. It is quite decadent just like this if you prefer to stop here.

I toasted some pecans, chopped them up and tossed them on top along with some fresh chives from the garden and some chunks of salty feta cheese. It went fast! Try it and see what you think. Feel free to omit the cheese if you're a vegan - it really is delicious without it - I think I even like it better with just the nuts and no cheese.

Oh, and if you're curious about some of my other original culinary inventions, check out my perfect potato green bean salad with lemon dill aioli, my simple and wonderful red cabbage, honey, lime and cilantro slaw and my delicious sweet and sour maple-soy roasted cabbage. When I am good, I am very good...

-- print recipe --
Pomegranate Roasted Eggplant with Toasted Pecans & Chives
Serves 4

Ingredients

* Roughly 3 pounds of eggplant - 3 medium or 8-10 small, Japanese eggplants
* 3-4 Tbsps olive oil
* 2-3 Tbsps pomegranate molasses
* 2 Tbsps sea salt
* 2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tsps garlic powder
* 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
* A handful of fresh chives, washed and chopped
* Half a cup of drained, crumbled feta cheese (optional, omit for a vegan dish)

Directions

1. Slice the eggplant into wedges or chunks of roughly the same size and shape to ensure even cooking. Sprinkle liberally with salt and set in a colander or sieve in the sink to drain, turning a few times to ensure that the salt coats the eggplant slices evenly. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Let the eggplant sit for 30 minutes then give a quick rinse to remove some of the salt. Toss the eggplant slices with the olive oil, molasses, pepper and garlic powder, turning until everything is well-coated with the mixture, then put it in the oven to roast, turning every 15-20 minutes to avoid burning or sticking. Cook until you are satisfied with the results which should be soft and caramelized - the exact cooking time will vary depending on how large or small you've cut your eggplant but I'd guess that it will take at least 35-40 minutes. This gives you plenty of time to toast and chop the pecans and chop up the chives.

3. Remove the eggplant from the trays with a metal spatula and place in the serving bowl or platter of your choice. Top with the pecans, chives and feta cheese, if you choose to use it. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

You might also like:

• Thai Eggplant Salad with fresh Herbs &amp Baby Greens
• Grilled Eggplant Stacks with Feta, Tomatoes & Basil
• Provençal Vegetable Tian - A Meltingly Delicious Dish of Eggplant, Potato, Tomato, Zucchini & Herbs

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Sesame Ginger Greens with Matchstick Carrots & Avocado

This perfect salad - crisp, filling, flavorful, exotic - is inspired by one I love that is made by Black-Eyed Suzie's, one of my favorite vendors at the weekly Woodstock Farm Festsival. This post is a love letter both to the salad and also to the Farm Fest - one of my favorite things about our town. MWAH!

All week, we look forward to Wednesday afternoon when we take the kids into town for a few hours of fun and good food at the Farm Festival. It's so nice to be outside, surrounded by friends and I truly love having one night each week when I don't have to cook dinner or clean up afterwards. Before I had children, I washed all my dishes by hand and enjoyed doing laundry. But that is no longer the case... So vive the Wednesday market with its delicious prepared food!

Lately, our garden has been churning out kale, chard, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, cabbages and herbs, leaving me with a pretty short shopping list, but I pick up whatever we need from the various farmers who spread out their offerings in the parking lot right off Tinker Street - Woodstock's main drag.

Then we walk across the street to Mower's field where the prepared food vendors and the musicians set up. We turn our older son loose to run around, play with the bubble wands, frisbees and hula hoops the Farm Fest provides or to scale the mountains of wood chips at the end of the field.

We'd like to turn our younger son loose but it's nearly impossible to pry him from our legs lately so he sticks close by unless his grandma takes him off to buy a small brown paper sack of apple cider doughnuts from Wrights Farm in Gardiner, NY. I think you could probably bribe the devil with one of these doughnuts. Thanks to his habit of wiping his dirty hands on his hair, James usually ends up covered in cinnamon sugar - it's how his nickname "Sugar Head" was born.

My husband always gets a falafel from Aba's (the best!) and I often order whatever Cheryl and Juan at Black Eyed Suzie's happen to be serving up. In addition to their tacos, pulled pork sandwich and mac n' cheese, people literally line up for a big plate of their baby kale salad with sesame ginger dressing, matchstick rainbow carrots and avocado (grilled chicken is an optional add-on). Sometimes there are radishes in it, sometimes not. Here's a pic of their salad from last week's market.

I like it so much that I've recreated at home a few times lately. I made my version with a bag of the wonderful baby braising greens from Sky Farms in Millteron, NY - their gorgeous greens are sold at the market's co-op booth. I like the tiny bit of heat the baby mustard greens impart. Especially when it's in dialogue with the sweet, salty, gingery dressing.

Unfortunately, my knife skills pale in comparison to Juan's so my carrot matchsticks are not nearly as thin and perfect as the ones in Black Eyed Suzie's salad. I don't really know how he does it - maybe he is part robot?

Do not skimp on the dressing! It's a delicious combination of salty, sweet and the wonderful spiciness of the ginger. Go heavy rather than light.

If you're in the Hudson Valley, stop by the market for some yums. And if you ever need an event catered, give Cheryl and Juan a call. I would like to have them cater my life :)

-- print recipe --Sesame Ginger Greens with Matchstick Carrots & Avocado
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 bag of mixed baby greens - kale, mizuna, mustard greens, arugala, spinach, etc.
* 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks
* 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
* 2-3 radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced (optional)
* Handful of sesame seeds for garnish (black is very striking)

For the dressing
* 1 garlic clove, pressed (mince it if you prefer)
* 1 Tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
* 3 Tbsps rice vinegar
* 1 Tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp maple syrup or brown sugar
* 4 Tbsps olive or grapeseed oil
* 2 Tbsps toasted sesame oil
* 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Make the dressing - simply mix all the ingredients together and blend well.

2. Compose the salad - toss the greens, carrots and radishes with a generous amount of dressing, lay the sliced avocado over the top, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

You might also like:

• Lemony Kale Salad with Coconut Avocado Dressing
• Wakame Kyuri Su - Cucumber Seaweed Salad
• Nutty Forbidden Rice, Roasted Beet & Kale Salad

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Fresh Spring Rolls with Herbs & Crispy Tofu

I suppose it's possible that there's something fresher and more flavorful than these spring rolls but if so, I have yet to encounter it.

The combination of fresh basil, cilantro and mint, cool, crispy cucumbers, sweet, crunchy carrots, crispy fried tofu and a sweet, spicy peanut sauce that you get in each bite is a kind of mind-altering experience.

And they are just as much fun to make as they are to eat, too - a perfect, summer dinner party food.

Lay out all the ingredients on the table - thinly sliced cucumbers and carrots, crispy tofu slices, fresh basil, mint and cilantro, sliced scallions, lettuce, and rice vermicelli. And peanut sauce, lots and lots of gingery, spicy, sweet, savory peanut sauce - if space allows, I put out several bowls so people can reach it more easily. I'm also a huge fan of hoisin sauce so I always include that, too.

I also found the most delicious, delicate little pea shoots at the first farmer's market of the season on Wednesday so I put those out, too.

Set out a big bowl of very hot water to soften the rice wrappers in and be prepared to refill it once or twice. If you're really tight on space they make these little space-saving rice wrap soaker deals.

There's usually a little jockeying for position at the water bowl to get the wrappers softened but then it's off to the races we go! Everyone creates their own spring rolls, adding as much (or as little) of this or that as they please. You could also make a ton of these ahead of time to serve as appetizers at a summer party.

These are a crowd pleaser and a perfect meal for the kind of hot, muggy weather we've been having this week. They are tasty with shrimp in place of the tofu and also very good without either one, too.

Here's how I roll:

1. Lay the softened wrapper out on your plate and plop your fillings in a neat pile at one end - as with a burrito, don't try to load too much in there at once.
2. Use your fingers to tuck the fillings in as you begin to roll the thin rice paper "skin" over the top.
3. Complete one full roll over the top and then flip the sides in to create your closed edges.
4. Keep on rolling until you're there. Eat. Repeat.

-- print recipe --
Fresh Spring Rolls with Herbs & Crispy Tofu
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 package of firm tofu
* 3 carrots, peeled and julienned or thinly sliced
* 1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
* 3 scallions, washed, trimmed and sliced into long, thin strips
* 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
* 1 cup of fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
* 1 cup of fresh cilantro leaves, washed and dried
* Several cups of lettuce leaves, washed and dried
* 2 cups of bean sprouts or pea sprouts
* 1 small package of rice or bean vermicelli, cooked and drained according to the directions on the package
* 1 package of large rice paper wrappers
* 1/2 cup peanut or grapeseed oil for frying the tofu
* A big  batch of peanut sauce
* Hoisin sauce

Directions

1. Make the peanut sauce. Do this ahead of time to give the flavors time to develop.

2. Drain the tofu by opening the package and putting the block of tofu under something solid and heavy - I usually use a cutting board with a full kettle of water balanced on top.

3. Prep all the veggies - this takes some time since there's a bunch of washing, drying, slicing and dicing but it's worth it. Put them all in the bowls or plates you will serve them in.

4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet and fry the tofu (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan), flipping once, until it's puffy and golden brown then turn them out onto a brown paper bag to drain. Once the tofu is cool enough to handle, transfer it to a serving plate or bowl.

5. Bring a pot of water to the boil and prepare the rice vermicelli - it's very quick - usually just a few minutes - then drain and set aside in a serving bowl.

6. Put some more water on to boil and lay all your components out on the table.

7. Pour the hot water into a bowl (or two if you can fit them on the table) and call everyone to the table to get rolling.

You might also like:

• Sticky Rice with Mango - Thank You, Thailand!
• Thai Eggplant Salad with Fresh Greens & Herbs
• Best Rice Bowl with Tahini-Ginger Kale, Pickled Daikon, Avocado & Egg

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

Thai Eggplant Salad with Fresh Herbs & Greens

A friend recently posed the question "if you could only eat one country's cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?" on his Facebook page. I didn't even pause to think before responding "THAILAND!" I find the unique combination of hot, sour, salty and sweet that makes Thai food Thai food utterly addictive in its freshness, complexity and depth of flavors.

This salad is a perfect example -- you start with a bed of fresh greens and a generous amount of fresh herbs - basil, cilantro and mint. Then you add some sliced scallions or chives, top with nutty, sweet, roasted eggplant and toss the whole thing in a dressing that is a mouth-watering balance of tart, sweet and spicy.

Toss the sliced eggplant with lots of olive oil and sea salt, then spread them out on a couple of heavy baking sheets and roast, flipping once in the middle to ensure even cooking. The roasting turns them into something you'll enjoy eating right off the tray - they get soft and kind of caramelized with a wonderful, nutty flavor that is at least as good as meat.

The scallions provide a nice counterpoint to the sweetness and softness of the eggplant slices. I like to chop them fairly finely to distribute the flavor and avoid getting any overpowering bites of allium.

Fresh basil, mint and cilantro - the holy trinity of Thai herbs - give the salad a delightful pop with little bursts of flavor happening all over the place. I am so happy to be able to go outside and snip these straight from the garden again after the long winter. Feels so luxurious! I'm trying out this pretty purple basil (the variety is called dark opal) this year and so far, I am a big fan.

And the greens make a nice, fresh bed for it all. Especially now that there are such tender young thangs growing in the garden (this bunch of lovelies came from our friend, Liza's garden).

The dressing ties it all together (I can no longer use that phrase without thinking of the Big Lebowski - anyone else?) Lime juice provides all the acid you need. Then you add some fish sauce (substitute soy sauce, if you're a vegan or vegetarian or allergic), some brown sugar, a jot of Sriracha, and a little finely chopped ginger and garlic.

Pour that dressing over it all and devour it. Sometimes I add some chopped toasted peanuts for a little crunch, too, but it's up to you. SO GOOD!

-- print recipe --
Thai Eggplant Salad with Fresh Herbs & Greens
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 2 medium eggplants, ends removed, sliced into rounds or half rounds (the slender Asian eggplants are the best if you can find them)
* 3 scallions, washed, ends removed and finely chopped
* 4-5 cups of fresh greens - lettuce, arugala, tatsoi, baby spinach, etc., washed, dried and ripped into bite-sized pieces
* 2 cups fresh herbs - equal parts cilantro, basil and mint, rinsed, dried, stems removed and coarsely chopped or ripped
*  Olive oil and sea salt for roasting
* 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

For the dressing
* Juice of 3 limes
* 2 tsps fish sauce (sub soy sauce if you do not/cannot eat fish)
* 1 tsp Sriracha (you can also use another hot sauce if you prefer or half a jalapeno with the seeds removed - if you like things hot, feel free to use more)
* 1 Tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar
* 1 small clove of garlic, minced or pressed
* 1 tsp chopped ginger root

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400. In a medium-large bowl, toss the eggplant slices with a lot of olive oil (eggplant is like a sponge so do your tossing quickly to help ensure that the oil gets distributed evenly before it gets absorbed) and several generous pinches of sea salt. Turn the eggplant slices out onto two heavy baking sheets and lay them out in a single layer. Roast for 15-20 minutes then remove the trays and flip the slices over. Return them to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes or so before removing them to cool.

2. Make the dressing - just mix all the ingredients together in whatever order you like and stir or shake well until the sugar has dissolved. Taste it and adjust the flavors, as needed.

3. Lay the greens and herbs in your serving bowl and top with the eggplant slices (you can either use them as is or cut or tear them into smaller pieces). Sprinkle with the chopped scallions and peanuts (if desired), add the dressing and serve.

You might also like:

• Miso-Sesame Roasted Broccoli & Sweet Potato Rice Bowl
• Warm Kale Salad with Tahini-Ginger Dressing & Avocado
• Roasted Eggplant, Tomato, Feta & Basil Stacks

For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.