This surprisingly sweet dip — made from delicious raw beets — is great with vegetables or whole-grain crackers or as a topping on a piece of salmon. Use it as part of a vegetable platter pre-dinner or for a snack.

Bonus: This dip loves you back. Beets are loaded with precursors to compounds needed to dilate your arteries and keep your cardiovascular system healthy.

Ingredients

1/3 cup (about 1.2 ounces) walnuts, toasted

1 garlic clove, peeled

8 ounces beets (about 2 medium), peeled, cut into ¾-inch dice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Fresh Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine walnuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse using on/off turns until finely chopped.

Add beets and lemon juice, and pulse until all ingredients are incorporated and finely chopped.

Add 3 tablespoons oil and ¼ teaspoon salt and process until a chunky paste forms, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.

For a thinner consistency, add additional oil by teaspoonfuls. Taste and season with more salt, if desired. Transfer to a small bowl. Garnish with parsley.

COOK’S NOTE: To toast walnuts, place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and cook for about 8 minutes at 350ºF. They will turn a light golden brown. Don’t keep toasted nuts for too long, because the heated fats turn rancid more quickly than raw nuts.

Nutritional information (per serving)

Makes 5 servings

Calories: 113

Total fiber: 1.1 g

Soluble fiber: 0.34 g

Protein: 1.5 g

Total fat: 10.3 g

Saturated fat: 1.7 g

Healthy fats: 8.5 g

Carbohydrates: 4.9 g

Sugars: 3 g

Added sugars: 0 g

Sodium: 120 mg

Potassium: 136 mg

Magnesium: 17 mg

Calcium: 12 mg

Source: The What to Eat When Cookbook by Michael F. Roizen, MD, Micheal Crupain, MD, MPH, and Jim Perko, Sr, CEC, ACC, National Geographic books (2020).

This article was written by Ann Milanowski from Cleveland Clinic and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.