Golden beet & haricot bean dip

One of the tricks I often rely on to encourage the whole family to eat more vegetables is to offer crudités before the main meal – when everyone is starting to feel really hungry. Another is to incorporate vegetables into as many dishes as often as possible. Here is a recipe that will give you the opportunity to be most cunning and do both!

1/2 cup haricot / cannellini beans, soaked for at least 24 hours in filtered water

2 cloves garlic

1 small onion, peeled and halved

1 bay leaf

Small (2cm or 1”) strip kombu / kelp

500g golden beets, washed and peeled

1 tablespoon coconut oil

5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 – 2 lemons, depending on taste

1 teaspoon sumac

Bring the beans, 1 garlic clove, onion, bay leaf and kombu to boil in a pot with enough salted water to generously cover the beans. Simmer until beans are tender, skimming off any froth that forms on the surface.
While the beans are cooking, toss the beets in the liquid coconut oil, add the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a moderately hot oven (160°C / 320°F) for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until the beets are tender.
When the beans and beets are both tender, add them to the bowl of a food processor, together with the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, the other clove of garlic and salt and pepper. Use the bean cooking liquid if you need to thin the dip a little.
Sprinkle over some sumac just before serving.