th[e]-Seed A New Year!

Of Hummus and Flatbread

Beet & Bean Hummus and Flatbread!  A delicious, nutritious treat!

Resolve To Eat Healthier In 2015!

Add this easy, protein rich, high fiber, energy boosting snack to your daily routine.  You will never get bored with hummus because there are so many ways to flavor it and pair it with your favorite foods.

Traditional hummus is made from chickpeas.  But I have been experimenting in the kitchen and on my family!  It turns out any dry bean and other legumes will substitute nicely!  We don’t raise chickpeas but we do have LOTS of dry beans to choose from, including Dakota Bumblebean, Hidatsa Shield bean, and Hidatsa Red!  

Health Benefits

Dry beans or legumes contain no cholesterol, are loaded with complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, and contain little fat. Beans promote digestive health and may help prevent colon cancer.  Beans help balance blood sugar levels and reduce blood cholesterol, a leading cause of heart disease.

Pairing our beans with Sweet Dakota Bliss beets provides many added benefits.  Dry beans are a rich source of iron, while beets are high in vitamin C, which helps to utilize and absorb the iron from the hummus.  Beets also help lower your blood pressure, relax and dilate your blood vessels, improving blood flow and enhancing stamina.

AND beets contain powerful phytonutrients!  That’s what gives beets their deep maroon color. It is this deep, rich color that may help to ward off cancer. Research has found beets are a unique source of a nutrient that helps protect cells from stress, fights inflammation, protects internal organs, and likely helps prevent numerous chronic diseases, including cancer. Beets are being studied for use in treating human pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers. “Yes, please!” to those beets!

Basic Hummus Recipe

To wet your appetite for experimenting, let’s start with a very basic hummus recipe.  Simply combine in a blender two cups of your favorite fully cooked dry beans (or chickpeas) in a blender with a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and salt to taste. 

Potential Combinations

Pair this recipe with the flatbread below and enjoy! Or experiment further with our Sweet Dakota Bliss beet hummus recipe below and combine the powerful healing benefits of beans and beets! And don’t worry about eating it all at one sitting… keep a few batches in the freezer so all you have to do is thaw! The flatbread recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!  Just tear off a chunk of dough, roll it out, and grill some flatbread or bake a pizza crust.  What could be easier?

You will never get bored with hummus! There are so many potential combinations to try, like cilantro jalapeño hummus, basil pesto, or spring pea hummus. Sweet corn jalapeño, roasted red pepper, or spinach artichoke hummus. How about chipotle hummus? Just search the internet for "hummus recipes" and have fun!

Use hummus as a veggie dip and forget the ranch dressing! Celery and hummus are a match made in heaven; you don’t even need a spoon! Use hummus as a sandwich spread in place of mayo for added taste and nutrition! Use a pesto hummus and the flatbread recipe below as the basis for your next homemade pizza.

Food should be your gateway to good health!  Here’s to a healthful and prosperous New Year!

New in 2015! Dakota Sisters melon Bred by David Podoll, this delightfully flavorful, sweet, aromatic melon has been intensively selected since 1980 for smooth texture, great melon flavor, juicy sweetness, deep orange color and thick flesh.  At 80 days maturity, this melon is well suited to short growing seasons.  We plant at the end of May, when danger of frost has passed, and usually harvest our first melon by about the 10th of August! We did not realize just how good our melon really was until we experimented with other varieties in 2012 and 2013!  We do not want to be without Dakota Sisters melon... it is THAT delicious! And now we are sharing it with all of you! Tendergreen cucumber A straight tender, cucumber!  Sweet, non-bitter and acid free; a popular favorite for more than 80 years.  This burpless, medium green, smooth fruit is a great market cucumber. Can be eaten fresh as a slicer, in salads, or picked early for pickling.  Its tender skin makes excellent pickles!  Tolerates cool soils, excessive moisture, downey mildew and mosaic virus.  A superior, multi-purpose cucumber.

New in 2015! Dakota Lettuce Mix We mixed our favorite romaine varieties, including: Bakito, an oval-shaped heirloom with purples leaves; Forellenschluss, a crisp, green and red-speckled heirloom; Rosalita, a red romaine; and crosses of all three varieties.  A colorful and flavorful addition to your garden and salad bowl! Sugar Snap peas Often touted as the most flavorful snap pea variety.  With sweet peas and pods, Sugar Snap peas have developed quite a following, becoming a household name since its introduction in 1979.  The vines grow to 5' and need the support of a trellis or fence.  Sugar Snap peas bear over a long picking period and yield well in in both hot and cool weather.  The pods are about 3" long and are excellent fresh picked in the garden, steamed, or sautéed in a stir fry.  This standout is an All American Selection Winner and is sure to be a winner in your garden!

Click here to see all of our NEW PRODUCTS FOR 2015!