This vegan roasted beet hummus recipe is one of my favorite things to bring to a potluck as a colorful centerpiece for the table.
On most days I wake up and can’t believe that people actually pay me to write and cook for a living. My afternoons of toiling in corporate big beauty seem more distant with every batch of gluten-free matcha pancakes.
But like any job, there are also the days of bureaucratic boredom and frustration; the difficult clients, scheduling annoyances, and creative pursuits that, when confined to a rushed 2-hour time slot, feel all at once laborious and half-assed. These everyday pitfalls, even if they happen within the comfort of my own home, can leave me feeling exhausted and out of sorts–like, I’m destined to still be “faking it til I make it” at age 45.
Freelancers of every age definitely suffer from the grass-is-always-greener syndrome. My schedule was the subject of envy for a lot of my friends who are still wearing unflattering pencil skirts, clocking their weekdays in cubicles and taking the crowded 6 train at 8 in the morning. But after covid work from home brought everyone back to my level, many people share my days when I miss my former life of going to an office everyday.
The reasons have nothing to do with pencil skirts (which I somehow always managed to make look disheveled), and everything to do with community.
When you work alone, there’s no one there to give you advice in the moment. Not only are there no road maps or shared resources being handed to you, but there’s no one sitting at the adjacent desk to flash an eye roll if your boss is being a bitch or a deal falls through because mercury is in retrograde.
During my first few years of blogging and book writing, I definitely took for granted how important it was to have someone by my side sharing in the same wacky, haphazard work experience. Over the last 5 years, I’ve been trying to bring more people into my life who balance a similar hybrid of random professional work and long term book writing.
These blogger-chef soul sisters are really the only ones who get what my life is like on a daily basis. But because of our mutually weird schedules, it can often be hard to get in the same room together to share those ever-necessary eye rolls and commiserate about the healthy hedonism Catch22 of shooting cocktail recipes at 10am on a Wednesday.
When we do get together, it’s often potluck style.
And one of my favorite things to bring is this roasted beet hummus recipe. If you’re looking for an easy appetizer that will stand out amidst a jam-packed buffet, I highly recommend roasting a beet and adding it to this classic hummus recipe. I’ve also made it with white beans instead of chickpeas and it still kills.
This version is completely vegan with the use of plant-based yogurt, but you can easily use Greek yogurt if you don’t care about the dairy.
Though this recipe isn’t exactly low FODMAP, if you omit the garlic you can enjoy it in 1/3 cup servings. Enough to try the beetroot dip, just not have it as an entree.
And as always, thanks to everyone here who keeps me company at the office every day, even if it’s just virtually.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Roasted Beet Hummus with Lemony Yogurt
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the chickpeas, beet, tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic (if using), salt, and cumin in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the water and any additional to reach your desired consistency. Taste for seasoning.
- In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt and remaining lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and season to taste with salt.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the lemony yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, the mint leaves and some reserved chickpeas and beets. Serve alongside blue potato, pita chips or crudités.
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!
Great, healthy use of red, white and blue!
I’d love to know more about the Friends in Food event. I’ve got friends who like food – so it sounds like a win-win!
Happy 4th!
Awesome Emily! Are you a NYC-based blogger? Feel free to email me!
I have been waiting for you to post this recipe for months! Yay! I am so excited to try it. We’ve been getting beets in our CSA. Happy Fourth! xo
yahooo!!! you’re so on it Ali! I hope you enjoy! xoxox
The Greek yogurt-roasted beet hummus sounds divine Phoebe! It’s a perfect solution for the summer BBQs:)
Regarding blogging; We do understand what you mean, getting out of the (endless it seems) loop of everyday office work and feeling a bit..well..alone perhaps sometimes (in a way). Ourselves however envy (in a good sense) your lifestyle. We’d LOVE to blog for a living, even though that has its drawbacks like you said. Unfortunately, living in Greece and blogging doesn’t pay off. It’s more of a passion we have, to experience food and share that experience with the world. We will keep dreaming though, that perhaps in the future we may make something in terms of capitalizing this passion!:)
Have a wonderful week ahead!
Panos and Mirella
Thanks for stopping by Panos and Mirella! I’m very jealous of all the amazing ingredients you have at your fingertips in Greece! I was there last June and it was magical. I made yemista, among on the things, on the site inspired by my trip. It’s definitely not easy to make a living just from blogging – I’ve been lucky to cobble together a mix of things in the food space to make ends meet. If it’s your passion and you don’t mind the uncertainly and solitude, I hope one day you’ll take the leap! But doing it on the side of an office job isn’t the worst thing either – I did it for years! xoxox
Hi Phoebe,
This looks delicious and can’t wait to try it! However, I’m Paleo so not doing dairy at the moment. Trying to think of an alternative to the yogurt…we do use a lot of coconut cream so maybe some kind of lemony-coconut thing might work. Any suggestions?
Also, I get how working for yourself can feel alienating. I was laid off from my job in magazine publishing and have since been doing lots of random freelance work as well as creative projects, most of which are very solitary endeavors. Would love to learn more about the Friends in Food events!
This will taste totally great even without the yogurt!! In fact, I think I just drizzled a little extra tahini + lemon on top at the friends in food party.
So nice to hear from someone else who’s doing the freelance hustle! Will definitely let you know when we do our next gathering! xo
Hummus is such a smart potluck choice — easy to transport and pretty much everyone can eat it. Love the idea of topping it with lemony yogurt for a little textural/flavor contrast!
I’m coming to this pretty late — I found this post while reading your bell pepper and beef taco skillet recipe, but I’d love to join in at the next Friends in Food potluck. I moved to NYC last winter from San Francisco, and it would be wonderful to meet up with yourself and other food bloggers in the area :).
Hey Nicole! Absolutely – will definitely make a mental note to add you to the next event! It would be great to connect. I hope you’re enjoying life in NYC so far. At the moment, no idea when the next gathering will be. Probably later this fall. Look forward to meeting you soon! xo
That would be great, thanks, Phoebe. Looking forward to meeting you! So far I’m loving it here, there’s always so much going on restaurant-, museum-, and show-wise, it’s a pretty magical place!