When it's sunny and warm outside, our body asks for fresh food that involves less time in the kitchen and more time outside. This Beetroot Hummus is easy to make, a great side dish for many meals and it's vegan and gluten-free, so everyone can dip in!

Best ways to serve Beetroot Hummus

• Snack Boards. We love creating cheese and cracker boards when having people over. The main dip would be our vibrant beetroot hummus or our lovely roasted red pepper hummus. Then we add different cheeses, crackers, fresh pesto, olives, fresh fruit, pickles, nuts and the list goes on as long as it fits on the board.

• With Pita bread and an assortment of dishes: Our ultimate Baba Ganoush, these lovely Lemon and Rosemary Potatoes, our fresh Beetroot Salad or homemade falafels. That’s a proper meal!

We love making hummus using different ingredients. Beetroot gives your hummus a fresh taste and a really vibrant colour. Beets contain a high amount of water so they are the perfect vegetable to add to your hummus to get a nice consistency. The colour is attractive and it looks amazing for presentation. Plus, it's healthy! This vegetable is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre, and is low in fat too. Beetroot is often referred to as a superfood.

DANCE TO THE BEET!

Once you start making hummus at home and realize how easy is it and how little effort it takes, you will be making your hummus at home all the time. All you need are a few simple ingredients and a food processor or hand blender:

• Chickpeas. Soak overnight dried chickpeas and cook them before using them for the hummus or use canned/jarred chickpeas. We buy organic jarred chickpeas and we love the flavour. Make sure you use good quality chickpeas as it makes a huge difference in the taste of your hummus.

• Beetroot. If you are using raw beetroot, you will need to bake it in the oven for around 40 minutes before adding it into the hummus. When we bake beetroot we always bake enough for a few dishes. We love making beetroot pure for our toddler Luca, or this beetroot salad, which is as well really easy to make. If you are using pre-cooked beet, then you can skip the baking, and add it directly.

• Tahini. Sesame seed paste, that’s all tahini is. This paste will give your hummus a delicious tangy flavour. Some people are not a fan of tahini, and you can always reduce the amount of tahini or leave it out of your hummus if that is the case.

• Lemon juice. Use fresh lemon juice if possible. Lemon works really well in this hummus as it contrasts the sweetness from the beetroot, making the hummus tangier.

• Olive oil. For your hummus, you want to use the best olive oil you have at home. We love using our friend’s olive oil that he gets from his olive trees, the flavour is incredible. When you live in Spain, you cannot cook with cheap flavourless olive oil, that could be considered a crime.

• Garlic. The garlic cloves are uncooked so if you are not a big fan of that raw garlicky taste, use half a garlic clove or consider leaving it out. If you love your garlic, then the more the merrier!

• Fresh mint. Mint and beetroot are such a good combination, so we add finely chopped fresh mint before serving the hummus.

• Sesame seeds. We love making a dish look delicious just with the presentation. Adding sesame seeds not only does this but also improves the taste.

How to plate your hummus

Some would say the presentation is as important as the taste of your dish, especially if you have guests or you want to bring your dish to a party or family dinner. Pour the hummus into a nice bowl, use the back of a spoon and move in a circular motion from the centre of the bowl to the edge. Add fresh mint, sesame seeds and some extra olive oil on the top.