Brighten up your hummus — and your day — by adding colorful veggies

Feb. 11, 2026

By Mary Wade Burnside

If you want to make a delicious meal that also brightens up these cold days, perk up your regular hummus by adding in a colorful vegetable!
You can use your imagination but we made three different varieties — carrot, beet and avocado/spinach.
We paired this trio with a Bean Edamame Quinoa Salad that’s easy to make and that offers tasty, Middle Eastern tones in the flavor.
These dishes are great to make ahead for snacks or lunch on-the-go. You could also serve soup to heat things up at dinnertime.
Together, both the salad, featuring white beans, and the hummus, with a main ingredient of chickpeas, provide a heaping helping of fiber and protein.
The beans also are high in magnesium, folate and vitamin B6.
Chickpeas can help control blood sugar, as they have a low glycemic index. They also have a type of fiber called amylose that is slow to digest. This also helps with blood sugar regulation.
The salad also features artichokes, which are full of nutrients. They are rich in vitamins A, B, C. B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc (whew!).
Artichokes can strengthen the immune system, detoxify the liver and aid in the prevention of cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The beets, an ingredient for one of the hummus flavors, are high in nitrates, which can aid in brain health and also keep blood pressure in check. They are also high in antioxidants, specifically betalains. This gives beets that deep red color and it also helps decrease inflammation in the body.
The salad and hummus pair well with each other flavor-wise and will provide a tasty, much-needed February pick-me-up!

Bean Edamame Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
For the Salad:
2 15-oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed*
2 cups shelled edamame, cooked and cooled*
2 cups quinoa (1 cup uncooked)
1 cup marinated artichokes, finely chopped*
1 cup celery, finely diced*
3 tbsp. capers (optional)
½ cup toasted pine nuts
¾ cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded or cubed*
¼ cup scallions, finely chopped*
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped

For the vinaigrette:
3 oz. (a little over ⅓ cup) olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice*
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic, grated (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)*
1-½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions:
Cook quinoa and edamame according to package directions and let cool.
Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients.
Add everything to a large bowl and toss until well coated.
Enjoy right away or refrigerate for up to five days.

Hummus Base Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed*
2 tbsp. tahini
2 tbsp. lemon juice*
1 clove garlic*
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 tbsp. water (adjust for texture)
Salt to taste
Ice cubes

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients with ice cubes until smooth and creamy. Adjust salt, lemon or water to your liking.

Flavor variations:
Add ½ cup of any vegetable you would like to the blender to change the type of hummus. We added in two-three medium carrots for the carrot hummus, canned beets and the liquid for color for the beet hummus and one medium avocado and a ½ cup of frozen spinach the avocado and spinach hummus. Thaw and squeeze frozen spinach to remove as much liquid as possible.
*Ingredients with an asterisk next to them are available through Monongalia County Health Department WIC. Call us at 304-598-5181 for more information.