Roasted Garlic Beet Dip {for beet haters!}
Beets. Either you love ’em or you hate ’em, right?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve hated beets. I remember being at the babysitter’s and refusing to eat my beets. The other kids got to go outside and play, but I had to sit at the table until I ate them.
I sat there for a long, long, long, time because I refused to eat my beets because…
All I could taste was dirt.
Just once in all my life — 17 years ago — I actually craved beets while in the hospital before having my first baby. I ordered some for lunch and ate them… And I’ve never wanted beets again!
That baby I mentioned? She absolutely LOVES beets. She doesn’t taste dirt at all.
The Gemstones Of The Root Vegetable World
Richly-colored foods are naturally packed with good nutrition and beets are no exception. They’re full of phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
The phyto-nutrients in beets, such as betanin, have been shown to help with inflammation and support detoxification in the body. Betanin is also responsible for the gorgeous, jewel-toned coloring of red beets (source).
Beets contain another key nutrient — betaine — which is made from the B-complex vitamin choline. Choline is important for regulating inflammation in the cardiovascular system. So beets are heart-healthy too! (Source.)
Because of the nutrient-density of this food, I secretly long to love beets.
Yet, so far, every way I’ve tried them has been disappointing…
Pickled beets… taste like pickled dirt. Canned beets? Taste like canned dirt. And cooked, buttered beets… taste like cooked, buttered dirt.
There just has to be a better way. A vegetable as beautiful as these garnet-colored beets shouldn’t be shunned.
But Roasted Beets…
Something magical happens when you roast beets!
Could roasting turn a beet-hater into a beet-lover?
The overwhelming aroma of earth filling my kitchen as they roasted in the oven left me doubting, but I was so curious. So hopeful.
I sliced off a tiny piece to try.
Tentatively, I took a bite. I waited for the overwhelming and (thankfully) non-gritty flavor of dirt to wash over my taste buds.
Instead of dirt, there was tender, almost silky, sweet beets. It was earthy, but not dirt-y. There is a difference! Roasting beets enhance their natural sweetness!
Roasted Garlic Beet Dip
We whipped up this Roasted Garlic Beet Dip, and suddenly, I was converted.
Making Roasted Garlic Beet Dip is easy, but it does require you to plan ahead a bit. And, don’t wear anything white or anything you don’t want stained!
A surprising addition made this dip even more amazing… curry powder!
My beet-loving daughter and I agree that curry powder enhances the flavor of the beets even more. Adding a lot of curry seemed to impart an almost floral note to the dip — a delightful surprise!
Serve this gorgeous, nutritious Roasted Garlic Beet Dip with fresh, colorful crudités, pita bread, or your favorite dippers.
If you think you hate beets, I challenge you to try roasting them and making this dip! It just might work its magic on you, too.
Beets. Do you love them or hate them? Are you willing to try this Roasted Garlic Beet Dip?
- 3pounds organic beetsGently scurbbed and stems trimmed to about 1 inch
- 1 to 2whole heads organic garlic
- 2tablespoons Wildly Organic Olive Oilplus 1 or 2 teaspoons for roasting garlic
- 1/4teaspoon Wildly Organic Himalayan Pink Salt
- 1 to 2teaspoons Wildly Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oilfor coating beets
- 1 to 3teaspoons curry powderoptional, add to taste
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Preheat oven to 400F.
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Lightly coat each beet with the coconut oil
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Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and evenly space beets on the baking sheet
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Remove the papery outer layer of the head(s) of garlic, keeping the cloves intact.
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Trim off the top 1/4" of each clove and drizzle with olive oil, then wrap in parchment paper.
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Put the beets and the garlic in the preheated oven.
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Bake the garlic for 30 minutes, or until soft and golden brown, then remove from the oven as the beets continue to roast.
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Check the beets after 40 minutes. If a knife inserts easily, they are done, otherwise return to the oven and check at 10-minute intervals until they pass the knife test.
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Once the garlic has cooled enough to handle, pop out each clove from its papery outer layer and add to your food processor bowl or blender jar.
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Once the beets are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool until they can be handled easily.
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Peel the beets, cut in fourths, and add to your food processor bowl or blender jar.
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Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and salt and puree until smooth.
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Serve with fresh crudités, pita bread, or your favorite dippers.
It can take at least 40 minutes to over an hour to roast whole beets, depending on how large they are. Slice them in half if you have larger beets. Put the sliced side down to keep them from drying out too much.
A food processor is perfect for this recipe, but if you don't have one, use a blender instead. If your blender doesn't have a tamper, you'll likely need to stop the blender a few times and push the beets with down with a scraper or spoon until it moves freely. My blender has a tamper, and I needed to use it to guide the beet chunks into the blades at first.
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