Salty Mezze Plate with Beet Hummus, Dill Cucumber Salad, Pickles, Olives, Rainbow Carrots, and Buttered Rye Toast

Symptom check-in

POTS: I had dizziness every time I stood up today, my heart rate jumped fast, and I got short of breath walking around today. I wanted something really salty that I could graze on slowly, so I built the plate around pickles, olives, salted beet hummus, and buttered toast.

Vestibular migraine: I had no vestibular migraine symptoms today — no vertigo, no nausea, no vomiting, and no light sensitivity.

Lupus: I had no rash, no body aches, no fever, and no nausea from my anti-rejection meds today.

Disorder safety check

Condition	Works?	Why
POTS	Yes	Pickles, olives, salted hummus, and bread make this naturally sodium-forward without having to dump salt over the plate
Vestibular migraine	Conditionally	Pickled and fermented foods can be personal triggers, so this works better on a symptom-free day
Lupus	Not specifically targeted	Beets, carrots, cucumber, olive oil, and chickpeas are nutrient-dense, but the plate is mainly designed around sodium and easy eating
Transplant context	Yes, with care	Use pasteurized yogurt, wash all raw produce thoroughly, and keep the cucumber salad refrigerated until serving

Recipe

Ingredients

Makes 2 generous plates

Beet hummus

• 1 small cooked beet, peeled and chopped

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 3 tbsp tahini

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 small garlic clove

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 2–4 tbsp cold water

• Optional: 1 tsp lemon juice if tolerated

Dill cucumber salad

• 2 Persian cucumbers

• 1/2 cup pasteurized plain Greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• Black pepper

• Optional: 1 tsp lemon juice

Plate

• 4–6 dill pickle spears or halves

• 8–10 green olives

• 2–3 rainbow carrots

• 2 slices rye or seeded sourdough

• 1 tbsp butter

• Microgreens, dill, or pea shoots for the beet hummus

• Extra olive oil

• Black pepper

Steps

1. Make the beet hummus

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.

2. Add them to a food processor with:

   • cooked beet

   • tahini

   • olive oil

   • garlic

   • cumin

   • salt

3. Blend for about 30 seconds.

4. Stop and scrape down the sides.

5. Add 2 tablespoons cold water.

6. Blend again for another 30–60 seconds.

The mixture should become thick, smooth, and bright magenta.

7. If it is still too thick, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.

8. Taste.

9. Add more salt if needed.

10. Add lemon juice only if using.

For the texture in the photo, keep it fairly thick so it holds its shape in a small bowl rather than running.

2. Chill the beet hummus

1. Spoon the hummus into a small serving bowl.

2. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.

3. Cover.

4. Refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

3. Prepare the cucumber

1. Wash the cucumbers thoroughly.

2. Dry them.

3. Slice into thick rounds or half-moons.

The pieces in the photo are chunky rather than paper-thin.

4. Make the dill yogurt dressing

In a bowl combine:

• Greek yogurt

• dill

• olive oil

• garlic powder

• salt

• black pepper

• optional lemon juice

• Stir until smooth.

• Taste and adjust the salt.

5. Finish the cucumber salad

1. Add the cucumber pieces to the yogurt mixture.

2. Fold gently until everything is coated.

3. Refrigerate for 10–15 minutes if you have time.

This gives the dill and garlic a little time to flavor the yogurt.

6. Prepare the carrots

1. Wash the carrots thoroughly.

2. Peel if desired.

3. Cut each carrot lengthwise into halves.

4. Cut each half again into long sticks.

The plate works especially well with purple, yellow, or orange rainbow carrots because you get the bright striped look in the photo.

Keep them raw so they stay crisp.

7. Prepare the pickles and olives

1. Drain the pickles briefly so they do not flood the plate with brine.

2. Leave small pickle halves whole or slice large spears lengthwise.

3. Drain the olives.

4. Pat them lightly dry if very wet.

You can use:

• Castelvetrano olives

• garlic-stuffed green olives

• plain green olives

8. Toast the bread

1. Toast the rye or sourdough until the edges are crisp and the center is still slightly chewy.

2. Spread with butter while hot.

3. Add a tiny pinch of salt if using unsalted butter.

Keep the toast whole or cut diagonally.

9. Finish the beet hummus

1. Take the beet hummus from the refrigerator.

2. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

3. Add black pepper.

4. Top with microgreens, pea shoots, or dill.

10. Assemble the plate

Arrange everything in separate sections:

1. Put the beet hummus in a small bowl near the center.

2. Spoon the dill cucumber salad beside it.

3. Add the pickle spears.

4. Add the olives.

5. Stack the rainbow carrot sticks.

6. Add the buttered toast along the side.

Do not overfill the plate so much that everything starts running into everything else.