Beets

Beets beets, a wonderful treat
The more you eat, the more you... tweet
The more you tweet, the better you feel
So let's have beets for every meal!

A poet I'm not.

Anyhow, picked up some lovely beets at the farmer's market yesterday. I wanted to use up the leaves too, since it seemed like a waste not to eat them. A quick online search and I came upon this recipe from the parsley thief for inspiration. Some adjustments made as I didn't have pine nuts or feta.





Orzo salad with beets and greens

• 3/4 pounds beets, greens cut but saved
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• 3 ounces herbed goat cheese, crumbled
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Pretty stems from the beets...

....unfortunately destined for the compost bin

• Heat the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet, over medium heat, until they begin to brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
• 
  
• Peel the beets and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the beet greens and slice the leaves into strips. Wash the greens thoroughly to remove any grit.
• 
  
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced red onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the beet greens. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.

Lovely beet greens

• Meanwhile, cook the beets in a pot of salted water, until just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the beets from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook, according to the package instructions, until al dente and drain. Add the orzo to a bowl, along with the beets, sunflower seeds, beet greens and crumbled goat cheese. Toss, season with salt and pepper to taste and eat!

It's like Christmas on a plate!

Playing with my food again