Last night I got to cater one of my first events – appetizers at the Kendra Scott store in Indianapolis! Ever since I lived in Houston, Texas for a year after graduation, I have been a fan of her bold statement jewels. This jewelry line has taken the country by storm now and can be spotted with signature earrings, necklaces and stones. My friend Elizabeth invited a group of girlfriends to get together at the store to shop, chat, snack and sip some wine. Naturally, I got to bring the food!
On the menu was a salsa, hummus and chocolate covered mandarins. The mango and red pepper salsa seasoned with fresh cilantro and lime juice was bright and zesty. I loved how easy the recipe was and how it tasted even better after chilling in the fridge overnight – perfect for summer!
You’ve probably seen the stunning fuchsia colored beet hummus on my Instagram Story because it is one of my favorite things lately. I simply added roasted beets to my favorite hummus recipe, plus some cumin with inspiration from Love and Lemons. My friends said several times that they were pleasantly surprised about the subtle beet flavor – it wasn’t overwhelming or shocking in anyway.
- 1 medium or 2 small beets
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice top of greens off the beets leaving about 2 inches of stalk left. Hold the beets by the stems and peel with a vegetable peeler.
- Wrap eat beet in foil and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Bake for 30-50 minutes depending on size of beets until tender and easily poked by a fork.
- Once beets are soft, remove from oven and cool. Slice the top and stem of beets off. Chop into 1 inch chunks.
- Add all remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor. Pulse or blend on high until smooth. If texture is too thick to blend easily, add another drizzle of olive oil or teaspoon of warm water to smooth. Chill until serving.
- Serve with crackers, pita bread, naan or vegetables. Enjoy!
For dessert I dipped little mandarins in semi-sweet chocolate, sprinkled them with kosher salt and chilled them to allow the chocolate to harden. The Delish recipe is really as easy as it looks and will probably be a go-to spring treat. The little mandarins pop with juice when you bite them, are sweetened by the chocolate and balanced with the savory sea salt. They were hands-down the favorite of the party!
We couldn’t leave the Kendra store without doing some shopping! I got a new pair of seafoam green earrings because I wear my white and turquoise ones all the time. It was so fun shopping with the gals, trying on all the dazzling jewels and catching up. What a way to brighten a Monday! Thank you to Elizabeth for inviting us to join your shopping party and to the sweet hosts at the Keystone Fashion Mall Kendra Scott store for hanging out with us.
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela
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