Let's start with what you came for…The Paleo-ish Beet Dip Recipe 🙂

I created this beautiful Paleo-ish beet dip just for you, my friends. Inspired by a recipe from a fellow Chicago blogger, Emily Paster of West of the Loop, it was originally created to be made in big batches for swapping and sharing at Food Swaps. I made a few tweaks – a smaller serving size for my own personal pleasure, a few more nutty additions, and a couple ingredient replacements to make it more paleo-friendly. And tada! This gem was born. Dip veggies in it, scoop it over salads or just eat it by the spoonful. It's ALL good. Read the post to find out why.

Ingredients:

• 5 small to medium sized beets
• 1 cup Siggi’s Strained Whole Milk Yogurt, Plain
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon za'atar
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Roast beets per the following steps OR just buy them from the store – this brand is great and is available at Whole Foods and Mariano's.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Chop leaves off of beets, but leave the bottoms and the stems as this will preserve some of the juicy juice.
4. Wash beets thoroughly and DON’T DRY – you’ll want some moisture on them for roasting.
5. Wrap beets in aluminum foil (I wrapped them individually this time, but I’ve also done them all at once).
6. Put them on a baking sheet in their aluminum foil for 60 minutes-ish. Check on them about 30 minutes in to turn them over. You may want to splash a bit more water on them if they’re looking dry.
7. They are done when a fork goes through the middle of them easily and smoothly. If it doesn’t, roast another 10 minutes and check again.
8. Once complete, let them cool off. Then, cut off their ends. Take a paper towel to them, and gently rub over the skin. It should come off easily. But no matter what, it will be messy. Wear an apron or bathe in beautiful purpley colors. Whatever floats your boat.
9. Plop your beets into your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.
10. Pulverize in your food processor until smooth.
11. Taste test! Taste test! Taste test! Everybody has different likes and dislikes and I tried my darndest to give you the exact measurements I used, but so much of my process is a little bit more of this and that until it tastes perfect TO ME. I loved the nutty flavor so I added a bit more almond butter and rounded it off with walnuts to really bring it home. But you may prefer it more tart, in which case you might want to up the yogurt and the lemon juice.

I made a new friend last week. It’s name? Beet Dip. And I can’t get enough.

The match maker was Emily Paster of West of the Loop. I got the pleasure of attending an intimate book launching party for her book, Food Swap: Specialty Recipes for Bartering, Sharing & Giving. Not only did she encourage everybody there to try their own Food Swap,  but she demonstrated a few recipes ideal for the homemade community trade.

Enter, the beet dip.

This creamy, dreamy, bright Nickelodeon-purple concoction – made with one of the most nutrient-rich vegetables out there. I HAD to have it, tweak it, and make it my own…

Beets? Good. Za'atar? Good. Tahini? Goooood. But what if I added some hemp seeds for an Omega-3 boost? And maybe a dash of almond butter to make it even more decadent. Yes. Uh huh. A little of this. A little of that.

BAM. I had it. Paleo-ish Beet Dip was born.

I now call this gem "dish lipstick” because it has been dressing all of my meals up and making them a little more….well, sexy. Yeah, I said it. It's sexy beet dip. Making salads more sensual, crackers more seductive, and chicken breasts more suggestive – one spoonful at a time.

Ahem. Anyways.

As always, when I make a recipe here, it's not just how to make it, but WHY to make it.

BEETS:

• Let's jump right into the fun stuff – beets have been shown to be an aphrodisiac or a sexual booster. This is thanks to the mineral Boron, which has been shown to increase the production of sexual hormones.
• Because of their high folate content, they are ideal for pregnant women.
• Eating beet root has been shown to decrease cardiovascular diseases in multiple ways.
• Betains contained in beet juice stimulate the function of the liver.
• Researchers have also noticed that oxygen uptake is greatly increased by people who drink beet juice. One study showed that the uptake increased by up to 16% which is extremely impressive – more than a person can achieve by exercise training.
• Nerve and muscle function, immune-boosting, bone, liver, kidney and pancrease health – the list goes on, but let's leave some room for the other guys, shall we?

WHOLE MILK YOGURT:

• Comes from cows who have grazed in pasture year-round vs. eating a processed diet.
• Grass feeding improves the quality of yogurt and makes it richer in omega-3 fats and CLA, a beneficial fatty acid (you cannot get the same levels from nonfat or lowfat yogurt).
• Remember, fat is good. When you choose lowfat or nonfat products, they are no longer whole foods. They are half-foods, replaced with sugars or fake sugars to make up for the lack of flavor. And no, whole milk will not make you fat. In fact, it may help you lose weight because whole fat foods digest slowly into the bloodstream, keeping you satisfied longer and feeding your body properly so that it can digest its food.

HEMP SEEDS:

• In the standard American diet, it can be difficult to get the right amount of Omega-3 in our diets.
• Omega-6 is easier to come by, and is found in most processed foods.
• We want to shoot for a ratio of 3:1 of Omega-6 to Omega-3, but the current US diet ranges from 10:1 all the way to 20:1 (!)
• Guess what? Hemp has the perfect 3:1 ratio! Which contributes to its abiltiy to…
• Improve digestion
• Balance hormones
• and Improve metabolism

WALNUTS:

• Yet another Omega-3 powerhouse
• Also very rich in antioxidants including manganese and copper
• Have been shown to improve reproductive health in males (read: fertility food!)
• May support brain health because of its neuroprotective compounds including vitamin E, folate, melatonin, Omega-3 and antioxidants.

Alright kids. That's all she wrote. Question for you…

What is your favorite dip/marinade/butter/sauce to put on EVERYTHING?

Much Love,

p.s. Like the Beet Dip? Pin me!

SOURCES:

1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/25/beets-health-benefits.aspx
2. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=124
3. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/19/7-walnuts-benefits.aspx

Paleo-ish Beet Dip

Print Recipe

I created this beautiful Paleo-ish beet dip just for you, my friends. Inspired by a recipe from a fellow Chicago blogger, Emily Paster of West of the Loop, it was originally created to be made in big batches for swapping and sharing at Food Swaps. I made a few tweaks – a smaller serving size for my own personal pleasure, a few more nutty additions, and a couple ingredient replacements to make it more paleo-friendly. And tada! This gem was born. Dip veggies in it, scoop it over salads or just eat it by the spoonful. It's ALL good.

• CourseSnack

Servings	Prep Time
4 cups	5 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Servings Prep Time 4 cups 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Paleo-ish Beet Dip Print Recipe I created this beautiful Paleo-ish beet dip just for you, my friends. Inspired by a recipe from a fellow Chicago blogger, Emily Paster of West of the Loop, it was originally created to be made in big batches for swapping and sharing at Food Swaps. I made a few tweaks – a smaller serving size for my own personal pleasure, a few more nutty additions, and a couple ingredient replacements to make it more paleo-friendly. And tada! This gem was born. Dip veggies in it, scoop it over salads or just eat it by the spoonful. It's ALL good. CourseSnack Servings Prep Time 4 cups 5 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Servings Prep Time 4 cups 5 minutes Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 5 small to medium beets
• 1 cup Siggi’s Strained Whole Milk Yogurt, Plain
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup Walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper to taste

Servings: cups

Instructions

1. Roast beets per the following steps OR just buy them from the store – The Love Beets Brand is great and is available at Whole Foods and Mariano's.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Chop leaves off of beets (and save for later - they are VERY GOOD for you), but leave the bottoms and the stems as this will preserve some of the juicy juice.
4. Wash beets thoroughly and DON’T DRY – you’ll want some moisture on them for roasting.
5. Wrap beets in aluminum foil (I wrapped them individually this time, but I’ve also done them all at once).
6. Put them on a baking sheet in their aluminum foil for 60 minutes-ish. Check on them about 30 minutes in to turn them over. You may want to splash a bit more water on them if they’re looking dry.
7. They are done when a fork goes through the middle of them easily and smoothly. If it doesn’t, roast another 10 minutes and check again.
8. Once complete, let them cool off. Then, cut off their ends. Take a paper towel to them, and gently rub over the skin. It should come off easily. But no matter what, it will be messy. Wear an apron or bathe in beautiful purpley colors. Whatever floats your boat.
9. Plop your beets into your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.
10. Pulverize in your food processor until smooth. Taste test! Taste test! Taste test! Everybody has different likes and dislikes and I tried my darndest to give you the exact measurements I used, but so much of my process is a little bit more of this and that until it tastes perfect TO ME. I loved the nutty flavor so I added a bit more almond butter and rounded it off with walnuts to really bring it home. But you may prefer it more tart, in which case you might want to up the yogurt and the lemon juice.

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