Luckily, no one in my family will even look at a beet much less eat one, because I had just 4 small beets. And, I only have the beets because I forgot to swap them out of our farm box which we have delivered once a week. I don't eat beets too often, but each time I do I am reminded how fabulous they taste and I ask myself, where are the beets?
And even those folks who do not like beets (yet!) - must agree that they make the most beautiful salad.
This recipe is for an individual servings (at least as far as I'm concerned), if you want a salad for 4, you will probably want to double or triple this.
I shared a link to this recipe at Cybele's Pascal's Allergy Friendly Friday.
4 beets, remove greens and save for another purpose (e.g. sauteed greens?)
walnut oil (or olive oil)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
handful of walnuts
1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
a few springs of cilantro, leaves only
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, trim and clean beets and place in a small casserole dish with a splash of oil, toss beets to coat with oil. Cover the dish either with a lid or foil. Place in oven and cook for 45 - 60 minutes, until beets are fork tender (the flesh of the beets are easily pierced with a fork). Remove from oven and uncover, let sit for a few minutes to cool.
When beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skin by rubbing with your fingers under cold running water. The skin should very easily come up. Slice beets into serving bowl and add a bit more oil and the vinegar.
Heat a small saute pan over medium heat, add about 1 teaspoon of oil, walnuts, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly for about 3 - 5 minutes, until walnuts are fragrant and sugar is melted. The spices should adhere to the walnuts. Add to the sliced beets, and cilantro, mix to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, you might want a bit more vinegar also.
Options:
- I just happened to have walnut oil, a light olive oil would be just as yummy
- add any fresh herbs you like
- add globs of goat or feta cheese, the tangy softness of either of these cheeses is wonderful against the sweetness of the beets and the walnuts
If you know the basics of roasting vegetables, you can work miracles in your kitchen, because roasting brings out the natural sweetness of anything. I know many people marinade their vegetables before roasting - adding things like vinegar or lemon juice. I don't think that does anything for the actual process of roasting. When you add an acidic element, not only may you have too much liquid, so that your veggies end up steaming and not roasting, but it immediately started breaking down the fibers of the veggies and you run the risk of a steamed, soggy mess - that may be eatable, but it will not be scrumptious.
So remember - in the oven, all you need on your veggies is oil - nothing else. If you want to add other flavors, add it after the roasting is complete.
1 large onion
2 red peppers
2 small zucchini
1 large funnel bulb
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
fresh herbs
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (if you don't feel comfortable with your oven that hot, 400 degrees will work also - you may need to roast a few minutes longer).
Cut the onion in half and slice into wedges. Cut the peppers into 1 inch chunks. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and slice on the diagonal into 1 - 2 inch chunks. Cut the funnel bulb in half, core, and trim the tough outer layer. Cut into roughly 1 inch chunks. Place all of the veggies on a sheet tray, add olive oil and toss until all of the vegetables pieces are coated with oil.
Roast in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes, turning the veggies half way thru. Test with a fork, veggies should be tender crisp and beginning to brown.
Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Also, add any fresh herbs you like.
Options:
- substitute your favorite veggies for the ones listed above (broccoli is our favorite)
- after removing from the oven, sprinkle with a good quality balsamic vinegar
- when cooled a bit, roasted veggies are fabulous in a green salad
- also wonderful on pasta, top cooked pasta with roasted veggies, a fresh herb such as flat-leaf parsley, a bit of red pepper flake, garlic, parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup or so of the pasta cooking water - toss. Lemon zest would be good too.
- add roasted veggies to cooked quinoa (bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup quinoa to a boil, simmer, covered for 15 - 20 minutes - til all the water has been absorbed). Might also want to add a bit more olive oil, vinegar, herbs, etc. This could be a warm side-dish, or a room-temp salad. (I love anything in quinoa!)
Note: when roasting dense vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes or butternut squash, you will probably need to roast 5 - 15 minutes longer (depending on the size of the pieces). Or you can blanch these vegatable first in salted water for about 10 minutes prior to roasting.
