Make Rainbow Hummus

Hummus is a delicious and healthy appetizer that originated in the Middle East long ago. Typically, hummus is a beige color, but you can add a variety of vegetables to it to create a colorful treat. All you need is hummus, roasted vegetables, and a food processor to make rainbow hummus that is sure to be a hit wherever it is served.

Ingredients

• 6 cups (1 kg) of cooked or canned chickpeas
• 6 tablespoons (90 g) of tahini
• 6 tablespoons (88.7 mL) of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 1 tablespoon (17 g) of salt
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) of baking soda
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of roasted beets
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of butternut squash
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of sun dried tomatoes
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of avocados
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of bell pepper (roasted and peeled)
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of roasted leek
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of roasted carrots
• 2/3 cup (100 g) of sweet potato
• 3/4 cup (100 g) of pistachios

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Steps

Making the Hummus

1. Cook the chickpeas in a 4-quart pot. Put the chickpeas in a 4-quart pot, and cover them in two inches (5.1 cm) of water. Add in one tablespoon (17 g) of salt and one tablespoon (14 g) baking soda. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat when the water begins to boil. Cook the chickpeas for 45 to 50 minutes.
2. Drain the chickpeas. Drain out most of the leftover liquid. Reserve two tablespoons of liquid from the pot for the hummus. Put the chickpeas into a food processor.
3. Purée the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and and garlic. Put the two tablespoons of reserved liquid, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic into the food processor. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Divide the hummus into equal parts. Divide the hummus in proportion to the amount of vegetables you will be using. With this recipe, you will divide the hummuses into nine separate portions, and each will be a different color when they have been blended with the vegetables.

Adding Colorful Ingredients

1. Roast the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Put the beetroot, butternut squash, bell pepper, leek, carrots, and sweet potatoes onto a tray. They should all be able to fit on one cooking tray. Cook them for 30 minutes.
2. Make the beetroot hummus. Put the hummus and beetroot into the food processor. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth. Remove the hummus and place it into a bowl or on a plate. Rinse out the blender for the next mixture. Your hummus should turn out bright pink or magenta.
3. Process the butternut squash and hummus. Put the butternut squash and hummus into the blender. Purée until smooth. Remove the hummus and rinse out the processor. The hummus will be a light yellow-orange.
4. Combine the bell pepper and hummus. First remove the seeds and skin from the bell pepper. Put the pepper and hummus into the food processor together. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth.
5. Make the leek hummus. Put the roasted leek and hummus into the food processor. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth. Your hummus should come out an orange-red color.
6. Process the carrots and hummus. Combine the carrots and hummus in the processor. Process the mixture until it becomes smooth. The hummus will turn orange.
7. Blend the tomatoes and hummus. Put the sun-dried tomatoes and hummus in the processor. Blend until smooth. This hummus mixture will taste saltier than the others due to the high level of sodium in the tomatoes. Your hummus will turn into a light orange-red.
8. Combine the hummus and sweet potatoes. Put the sweet potatoes and hummus into the food processor. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth. The hummus will turn light orange.
9. Process the pistachios and hummus. Use peeled and unsalted pistachios. Combine the pistachios and hummus. Process until smooth. The hummus will mostly stay beige, but with a light green tint.
10. Make the avocado hummus. Process the avocado and hummus together. This mixture will probably take less time than the others to become smooth due to the softness of the avocado. The rainbow hummus should be complete at this point. The hummus will be light green.

Serving the Rainbow Hummus

1. Put each hummus in a separate bowl. Once you have finished making the hummus, put each hummus into a small bowl. Arrange the bowls in a circle. You can also put them into a straight line.
2. Arrange the hummus on one, large plate. If you don’t have several small bowls, you can put each hummus onto one large plate. Arrange the hummus in a circle. Leave a space in the middle for pita chips or bread.
   • Add a few, fresh vegetables to the middle of the plate, or place them into the hummus.
3. Put out pita bread. You can choose to put out pita bread alone, or you can serve it along with chips. Cut the pita bread into triangles or strips. Arrange it with the hummus, or serve it next to the hummus.
4. Serve with blue corn chips. Blue corn chips add an extra touch of color to the arrangement. This is a good alternative if you don’t like pita chips. Place the chips in the middle of the plate, or in a separate bowl next to bowls of hummus.

Tips

• Rainbow hummus pairs well with guacamole and salsa.
• Put the hummus in clear or white bowls so that the colors stand out.
• Rainbow hummus is a great, healthy choice for parties for children.

Warnings

• Make sure that all ingredients are fresh before incorporating them into the recipe.

Things You’ll Need

• 4-quart pot
• Cooking tray
• Food processor or blender
• Serving bowls
• Whisk

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make a Cream Cheese Crab Dip
• Make Onion Dip
• Make Vegan Queso Dip
• Make Skinny Guacamole
• Make Nacho Dip
• Make Guacamole
• Make Marshmallow Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
• Make French Onion Dip
• Keep Guacamole Fresh
• Make Authentic Mexican Guacamole

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