Friday Feast: Sweet Beetroot Hummus on Sourdough with Blackberry Jam and Hazelnut Butter

Fluctuating hormone levels mean that our nutritional, exercise and health needs vary at different times of the month. A simple way to optimise our health is to work in tune with these natural rhythms by adapting our diet and exercise regime accordingly. This is called ‘cycle syncing’.

Should you want to try cycle syncing, the following recipe is flagged for the stage it best supports.

• Follicular Phase days 6-13
  
• Ovulatory Phase days 14-18
  
• Luteal Phase days 19-28
  
• Menstrual Phase days 1-5
  

I like my beetroot hummus vibrant and rich, that’s why there is an obnoxious ratio of beetroot to chickpeas in this recipe. Embrace it! Beetroots are rich in folate (a fabulous fertility friendly vitamin), antioxidants and highly anti-inflammatory. Steamed and blended with chickpeas – an almighty source of plant-based protein – along with healthy fats found in both tahini and hazelnut butter, this super-spread will help stabilise unruly blood sugar levels.

MAKES 1 LARGE JAR

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

• 280g raw beetroot, peeled and chopped
  
• 400g can of chickpeas, drained
  
• 1 tbsp tahini
  
• 1 tsp ground cumin
  
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1 garlic clove
  
• a squeeze of lemon juice
  
• salt and black pepper
  

TO SERVE

• toasted sourdough bread
  
• a handful of blackberries, fresh or frozen
  
• 1 tbsp hazelnut butter or 2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, smashed
  

1. To make the beetroot hummus, place the beetroot in a steamer basket and steam for about 20 minutes. Beets can be a bit of a pain to steam, so give them enough time to completely soften.
   
2. While the beets are steaming, rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and remove the skins. You can do this by gently pinching the edge and letting the chickpea pop out. This will make for an extra smooth hummus.
   
3. Place the peeled chickpeas and the soft beetroots into a food processor or blender along with the rest of the hummus ingredients. Blend for a good few minutes until completely smooth.
   
4. Toast the bread and place the blackberries in a saucepan over a medium heat with a touch of water. Leave to stew for 5 minutes.
   
5. Spread the beetroot hummus generously on the toast, pile on the stewed blackberries and drizzle over the hazelnut butter or smashed nuts to finish.
   

More inspiration

READ The Happy Balance by Megan Hallett and Nicole Jardim (£20 White Lion Publishing)

LEARN Take Nicole’s course on hormone imbalances at nicolejardim.com