A few weeks ago we went to New Orleans, and one of the restaurants inspired this dish of orange beets.

Compere Lapin served us a beautiful beet salad made with pistachios and kale pesto. When I purchased the beets to attempt to make this, the beet greens were so fresh I couldn’t discard them. Thus, beet greens pesto. If you can’t find beets with healthy beet greens attached go ahead and use kale or serve with this homemade basil pest0 or this seven herb garden pesto.

Beets are no stranger to Spinach Tiger. I have over 25 beet recipes and the most popular one has always been my red beet smoothie.

There are months that beets go off my radar, but that shouldn’t happen because the health benefits are just too powerful. 

Beets contain betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan which is also found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being, promotes the health of internal organs and a growing body of evidence shows that betaine is an important nutrient for the prevention of chronic disease. Beet Greens are also extremely healthy, high in iron, Vitamin K, magnesium and much more.

I’ve sauteéd beet greens in this recipe but this is the first time I’ve used them raw.

Ingredients

• Red Beets (feel free to use beets of other colors)
• Olive Oil
• Basil
• Garlic
• Orange
• Lemon
• Pistachio Nuts

Roasted Orange Beets with Beets Greens Pesto is the Foodie Salad for Health Nuts

I roasted the beets after dousing with a little olive oil and a lot of freshly squeezed orange. The beets greens were mixed with some olive oil, a little basil, garlic, orange and pistachio nuts. I had my doubts that this would work, but when you take a bite of the beet with the beet greens pesto, lemon it comes together well.

This is a simple dish, but it has complex flavors and layered textures. You could add in some goat cheese and make this a meal all by itself or serve it with a more subdued fish dish.

More Beet Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Ginger Roasted Salmon with Orange Roasted Beets
• Golden Beets Carpacio
• Red Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese
• Red Beet & Bacon Goat Cheese Flatbread
• Raw Red Beet Pesto
• Red Beet Smoothie
• Beet Greens and Candy Striped Beet Salad
• Red and Golden Beet Crostini with Goat Cheese
• Roasted Golden Beets

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Roasted Orange Beets with Beet Greens

Orange Beets salad with a pesto of beet greens, pistachios and lemon for a wonderful side dish.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound red beets with beet greens attached
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice and zest of one orange
• squeeze of half lemon
• 1/4 cup pistachio nuts roasted salted
• 1 clove garlic
• few leaves of basil optional
• sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

• Trim off beet greens. Wash well.
• Using a pairing knife or potato peeler, peel skin from beets and cut into quarters or large bite sized pieces.
• Douse with a tablespoon of olive oil and juice of half of the orange with zest.
• Wrap in foil and roast in oven at 350 degrees for 35-50 minutes or until tender. Check at 15 minutes and turn.
• Remove and douse with remaining orange and zest of that orange while still warm.

Beet Pesto

• Mix in small food processor or blender, beet greens remains olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and two tablespoons pistachio nuts. Blend until smooth. Taste to season with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if needed.
• Bring beets to room temperature. Drizzle with more olive oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with beets pesto and remaining pistachios.

The post Roasted Orange Beets with Beet Greens Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I had my first red flannel hash a few weeks ago at one of Nashville’s best brunch places, the Old School, and you better believe the next weekend I dicing beets and sweets and making my own.

The colors of red flannel hash brighten the morning and heighten the senses. The flavors of earthy beets, sweet potatoes, and bacon marry together well as a tasty setting for oven fried eggs.

Where did Red Flannel Hash come from?

I thought red flannel hash was a southern thing, but learned it’s actually a dish born 70 years ago in Vermont, originally part of a church fundraising supper. It was made with corned beef, which you could still do, but we in the south just love our bacon! Some say it must be served with eggs; others say this is a supper dish and to be served with beans.

We like it for Saturday brunch, when my mom comes for breakfast and wants her biscuits and well-cooked eggs. I have just enough time for fuss and get festive.

Oven Fried Eggs are Perfect for Red Flannel Hash

There are a number of ways to make this hash. Aside from choosing corned beef or bacon, you can mix up your ratio of beets to sweets, substitute white potatoes for sweets, or even purple potatoes which I added the second time I made red flannel hash.

Shallots add the best flavor boost, but red onion will work also. Once the hash is made, add your eggs and stick it in the oven for about seven minutes until the eggs are oven baked, or bake the eggs separately using this recipe.

A few years ago I discovered sunny side up eggs can be made in the oven. 

You can also oven bake your bacon, the same time you roast the vegetables.

The nice thing about red flannel hash is making it your own! The first time I made it I did oven fried the eggs separately and made my famous southern fluffy biscuits. 

You can get everything ready a day in advance by prepping your veggies!

More Egg Recipe from Spinach Tiger

More Whole 30 Recipe from Spinach Tiger

More Red Beet Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Perfect Poached Eggs

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Red Flannel Hash with Oven Fried Eggs

Red Flannel Hash, a colorful medley of red beets, potatoes, and bacon, with our secret technique for oven fried sunny side up eggs,

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 red beets can be mixed in color
• 1 small sweet potato
• 4 purple splendor potatoes optional
• 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 shallots
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 cups arugula
• 4 large eggs

Instructions

• Peel beets,dice, bake for 20 minutes or until softened.
• Peel sweet potatoes, dice, bake for 20 minutes.
• Keep beets in separate pile on baking sheet.
• Drizzle oil on vegetables.
• Roast at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes.
• Bake bacon in oven for twenty minutes. (recipe here)
• Dice purple potatoes, (no peeling)
• Dice shallots or onions. Cook in butter until softened.
• Add all vegetables, onion, parsley and arugula to cast iron pan or baking sheet.
• Add eggs.
• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until eggs are cooked.

The post Red Flannel Hash with Oven Fried Eggs appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Here is a host of sexy appetizers and cocktails to enhance the evening from some of my favorite blogs. I’ve included the easiest, fastest recipe for a healthy addition to decadence. Red Beets for the red carpet with a little golden mango for the lucky winners.

And now a public service announcement from Jennifer Lawrence:

“WHATEVA you do, don’t wrap any of these in foil and put them in the science oven.”

DRINK

Champagne Cocktail from Sippity Sup

Raspberry Dinner Bellini

Blood Orange Margarita from How Sweet It Is

POPCORN

Duck Fat Popcorn from Diane, A Broad

Crispy Proscuitto and Black Truffle Popcorn from Dooley Noted

Mint Chocolate Chip Popcorn from the NY Melrose Family

NIBBLES

Paleo Spiced Nuts by Elana’s Pantry

Fried Olives with Blue Cheese from Sis Boom Blog

Paleo Friendly Prosciutto Cups with Pears by Spinach Tiger

Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites from Lite House Foods

BIGGER BITES

Honey Proscuitto Flatbread Appetizer from She Wears Many Hats

Grilled Scallop Sliders from Taste with the Eyes

Roasted Broccolini Wrapped in Proscuitto by Spinach Tiger

Smoked Salmon Tartine from Blogging Over Thyme

Smoked Salmon Cheesecake with VIDEO by Spinach Tiger

SWEETS

Chocolate French Macarons from Teenie Cakes

Chocolate Blueberry Truffles by Gourmande in the Kitchen

Chocolate Ribbon Cupcakes by Spinach Tiger

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Espresso Frosting

Red Velvet Cheesecake for the Red Carpet from Willow Bird Baking

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Red Beets & Mango Appetizer

Red Beets & Mango tossed in a lemon honey vinaigrette could be a starter or a dessert.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 red beets roasted or boiled, diced
• 1 mango diced
• Honey lemon vinaigrette
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Roast Beets whole in oven at 300 degrees for one hour. Peel, dice. Cool.
• Dice Mango.
• Toss together with vinaigrette. Use very small amounts.
• Season with salt & pepper.

Where will you be on Oscar night? Do you have a favorite movie or star you’re hoping will win. Shake it up with a little red beets and mango salad which by the way can also be served for dessert.

The post 20 Oscar Night Party Food Recipes and a Word from Jennifer Lawrence appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

In my previous post I gave you a tutorial on risotto, the ins the outs and all the things I’ve learned to try to make that perfect risotto, creamy and chewy in texture and I showed you these three risottos that I made all at the same time. Perhaps, if I had a restaurant, I would serve a trio of risotto and be the talk of the town, if I could pull it off.

Red beets do the pleasure of delivering an earthy, bright flavor, while bringing a fabulous color to every grain of that lovely Arborio rice.

The most unique part of the this recipe is that I used raw beets and added them in rather quickly to the rice mixture. You can grate the beets or use a Vitamix as I did, which worked well with a few pulses. I used basil to garnish, as its a wonderful flavor enhancer to the sultry red beets, taking notes from this red beet pesto.

I just saw a golden beets risotto over at Summer Tomato and they topped the risotto with the beet greens, something I will want to do next time I make red beet risotto.

Please go to the article on how to make risotto for lots of help in perfecting this dish and go to this extremely popular post which lists ten heath benefits of beets.

Red beet risotto may be a very non-traditional risotto, but one that will bring excitement to a meal.

More Risotto from Spinach Tiger

Melted Tuscan Kale Risotto

Sweet Potato Risotto

Caramelized Onion, Sweet Corn Risotto

Risotto 101, Everything you Need to Know 

Risotto Cakes

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Red Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

A twist on traditional risotto, red beet risotto is great as a first course or and would be a great side for a red meet dish such as skirt steak.

Course Red Beet Pesto with Goat Cheese

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 red beet
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or balsamic
• 1/4 cup parmigiana reggiano
• 2 tablespoons goat cheese
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon basil

Instructions

• Either grate the red beet or place in Vitamix with a tablespoon of olive oil and pulse to grate, which is what I did.
• Heat chicken broth in separate pot. Once hot, turn to simmer.
• Melt butter and In a 10 inch stainless steel frying pan or an enamled cast iron small dutch oven. Add olive oil.
• Add chopped shallots and cook until translucent.
• Add in grated red beets.
• Add in dry arborio rice and toast for four minutes, stirring.
• Have a lid ready to immediately cover when you put the first ladle of broth.
• Add ½ cup broth. Cover for a few seconds to avoid any reaction from hot broth hitting the hot fat. Uncover.
• Stir until the broth is nearly all absorbed in the rice.
• Add another ½ cup broth and repeat until there is only ½ cup broth left to add.
• Add in vinegar. Continue to stir.
• Add in broth ¼ cup at a time at the end, so as to not overcook the rice. At the end of about 18 minutes, you should be at the end of the broth. Taste the rice. If it gives yet still has a bite, take it off. If it crunches, then cook another minute, stirring constantly. If you run out of broth and you’re sure the rice is not done, add a small amount of water, (tablespoon or so).
• Remove from stove, Stir in goat cheese. Stir in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped parsley.This will serve 2 big servings.

The post Red Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Red Beet & Bacon Truffle Honey Goat Cheese Flat Bread the week AFTER I post the 25 best red beet recipes on the internet might sound a little insane, a bit backwards, but it only proves I put my beets where my mouth is. After all, it was Valentine’s Day. I told you the science behind beets as an aphrodisiac. Did you not think I would serve beets on February 14th?

We decided to dine at home on Valentine’s Day and invite another couple over. I had a menu set in my mind all week, which had to be altered slightly because the grocery stores didn’t get all their shipments in (snow storms in 49 out of 50 states). Nashville, however, didn’t get a snowflake. It would have been nice to see a snow covered  landscape, but all we got were school closings with no snow. Storms, tornados and hail came at us on Thursday. Today, we’re taking a walk in shorts. Later this week, we’ll see a low of 21. We are a confused weather city. While some cities run to the grocery store because a snow storm is on the way, we run because a rain storm is on the way. Seriously!

Fortunately on Valentine’s Day, the weather was friendly.

I settled on a menu of rack of lamb with Brussels sprouts, buttery fingerling potatoes, and individual flourless chocolate cakes. I needed an appetizer because I couldn’t roast the lamb until company arrived. I wanted something special ready to serve, and I wanted red beets! Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads sent me a shipment earlier in the week which gave me the inspiration to make a beet and bacon flat appetizer.

I get a lot of products sent and I only mention the ones I’m truly in love with. I won’t recommend a product that I’m not positive will bring you a good experience. I can wholeheartedly recommend these products. The difference is in the taste and the texture. Stonefire products have no preservatives and are a very high quality bread. I was able to try the pita, the naan and the wholewheat flatbread. I can’t pick a favorite because all were exceptional. The pita bread has a very good flavor, not dry like many pita breads are.

Because there are no preservatives in the Stonefire products, I immediately froze them.

The wholewheat flat bread baked very nicely, crispy but chewy at the same time, and is the perfect bottom for an appetizer. I roasted beets, bought some local goat cheese and used some coveted truffle honey along with a garnish of bacon. The combination of flavors was compelling, sweet and earthy, especially with that little nuance of truffle honey. The good news about no preservatives is the taste difference, but they must be eaten fairly quickly. I froze everything and was so impressed with how fresh the breads tasted when defrosted. As far the flatbread pizza, I assembled it as frozen, and it baked in about twenty minutes.

Tablescaping:  I love tulips and this was wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day and wish for Spring! I used a cream colored burlap underneath a more traditional piece of burlap to make the table rustic, yet festive. Notice the little milk jars serving as vases, and the mason jars holding those gorgeous white tulips (my favorite flower).

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Red Beet & Bacon, Goat Cheese on Stonefire Flat Bread with Giveaway

Red beets, bacon and goat cheese top Stonefire flat breads for an elegant, yet rustic appetizer.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 whole wheat Stonefire flat bread
• 4 to 6 ounces of goat cheese
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (saving some for a drizzle
• 2 small roasted red beets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil may not use it all
• 3 slices crumbled bacon smokey bacon is a great option

Roasting beets

• 2 small beets or one large beet

Instructions

• Cut the roasted beets into cubes. Season with salt and pepper, and toss with olive oil. Set aside
• Mix the honey with the goat cheese to the sweetness you prefer.
• Spread over the flat bread.
• Top with the beets. Drizzle a little honey. Add crumbled bacon.
• Bake at 400 degrees until the underneath of flatbread is crispy. 10-20 minutes. I used a frozen flatbread, so it took about twenty minutes.
• Drizzle with honey, prior to serving.
• This makes an appetizer for 4 to 6 people or an entree for 2.

Roasting Beets

• Peel beets, coat with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Roast at 300 degrees for 45 minutes.
• Cool before cutting.

The post Red Beet & Bacon, Goat Cheese on Stonefire Flat Bread appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You are smiling aren’t you. Something about the word aphrodisiac gets us all smiling. Partly, we think it’s folk lore, and partly we’re like the idea and want it to be true.

How does a food qualify as an aphrodisiac anyway?  Science, and this put beets right in the game with a trace mineral called boron, a trace mineral that increases the level of sex hormones in both men and women. Smiling again!

Healthy is sexy! Beets contain betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains trytophan which is also found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being, promotes the health of internal organs and a growing body of evidence shows that betaine is an important nutrient for the prevention of chronic disease. It’s just a little easier to hold hands when you feel good.

Beets may promote romance! In many cultures the belief persists that if a man and a woman eat from the same red beet then they will fall in love. I wonder if it’s true that if they eat from the same red beet, they will stay in love. Testing that for 15 years now.

The power of the red beet just may be why this red beet smoothie is always in my top three favorite posts.  I call it my elixer, because I feel energy right after drinking it, and it tastes so good. (Kids love this one too).

I fell deeply in love with beets years ago, especially smitten with their versatility. Aside from a deep color that speaks right to my heart, I am truly inspired to etch out recipes featuring this super health delight.

Here are a few of my Beet recipes and some of my favorite recipes from other bloggers, which may or may not prove this aphrodisiac claim.

Red Storm Beet Infused Cocktail from Sippity Sup

Red Flannel Hash made with corned beef and beets by Simply Recipes

Roasted Golden Beets from Spinach Tiger

Super Health Salad with Shaved Brussels Sprouts Red Beet Pesto from Spinach Tiger

Ravioi Hearts with Beets and Goat Cheese Filling from Spinach Tiger

Remembering Beets so Red, It’s Fusilli from Greg at Sippity Sup

Raw Beet Salad with Shallots, Orange from Spinach Tiger

Roasted Golden Beet Carpaccio from Spinach Tiger

Beet Ice Cream from White on Rice

Beet and Blue Cheese Grill Bites by Cheap Ethnic Eats

Morrocan Roasted Beets with Pomegranate Seeds from Feasting at Home

Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting from Joy the Baker

Roasted Beet Crostini with Goat Cheese and Honey from Spinach Tiger

Five Star Beet Salad by She’s Cookin

Marbled Beet Cheesecake from With a Spin

Beet Mousse with Cardamom from Artsy Food

Borscht, the Elixer of Soups from Spinach Tiger

Baked Beet Chips from a Cozy Kitchen

Red Beet Crostini from Spinach Tiger

Red Beet Pesto with Sunflower Seeds from Spinach Tiger

Salad of Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Red Beet Pesto

Beet Bread from a Cozy Kitchen

Red Beet Pasta with Beet Gnocchi and Cream Cheese with Poppy Seeds from Spinach Tiger

Beets and Beet Green Salad from Spinach Tiger

Look what my Nashville friend and food blogger, Teresa from Food on Fifth did with her beet juice. She made the Olympic Rings.  Go see her fabulous borscht that goes with this creation.  She’s a food stylist, so you are always in for a treat.

A Few Notable Beet Moments When Dining Out

Chilled Strawberry Beet Consumme with horseradish oil,  featured at Basi Italia in Columbus, Ohio

(Greg of Sippity Sup has the recipe at his site.)

 Beet Down a signature cocktail Root Down in Denver

Honey Beet Ice Cream at Silly Goose

Beet Sriracha at Etch

Roasted Beets, Housemade Burrata, Balsamic Caviar, Beet Mostarda at Via Italia Trattoria in San Diego

Beets & Benton’s Bacon Pizza at Bella Nashville

Roasted Beets & Grilled Sweet Corn with Ricotta Salata & Avocado Cream at Margot

Well, there you have it. I’ve brought you the best 25  beet recipes I could find, along with a few memorable dining out moments. Try all 25 recipes and let me know if you think red beets are an aphrodisiac.

The post 25 Beet Recipes and Are Red Beets an Aphrodisiac? appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If I knew it was so easy to make ravioli with won ton wrappers, I would have done this ages ago. Easy, heart shaped, goat cheese and beet ravioli are just the kind of fun Valentine’s Day food I like to make. Eating just a few can feel so rich and decadent, I might forgo that box of candy especially when drizzled with a bit of truffle honey.

This month’s theme for the Creative Cooking Crew is dumplings.  I could think past Chinese dumplings, which I love, but I have little experience with Asian cooking and I’m keeping a tight pantry lately, in trying to simplify my life. I didn’t want to have a long list of ingredients I might only use once. but what was to stop me from making my own version of pot stickers skipping right past Asian flavors and grabbing onto something I’m very familiar with.  Beets and goat cheese. To remain true to myself, I created something easy and approachable with a minimum of ingredients, yet fun, delicious and innovative.

The red beet  and goat cheese mixture is beautiful and when stuffed inside a wonton wrapper, the bright pink color shows through. I pan fried the ravioli with diced red beets to turn the dough a beautiful beet red color.  I glistened the ravioli with a bit of truffle honey, but you could also rest them in some butter and shallots or use plain honey.

I made a few round shaped pot sticker-type dumplings, by pan frying, steaming.

I also made a version closer to a dumpling for soup accompanied by the beet greens.  Saute Beet greens with olive oil and garlic.

I knew in my heart I wanted a red beet goat cheese filling.   I combined goat cheese with cream cheese and pureed a fresh raw red beet. I did this with a  Vitamix that will crush the raw beets as I did with red beet pesto. However, you can roast or boil the beet, if you are using a food processor. I added a touch of sweetness by way of a peach habanero jelly. I liked the heat and sweet, but you could opt for something else like honey or a different jam or go savory with salt and pepper.

Whichever way you choose to use won ton wrappers, know that they are versatile and make a very good ravioli in a pinch. It’s easy to cut them into the heart shapes (for Valentine’s fun), or pinch them into a round dumpling. The beet and goat cheese filling is tasty, colorful and a nice surprise.

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Make Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli Hearts with Won Ton Wrappers

Won Ton Heart Shaped Ravioli or dumplings made with beets and goat cheese.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 red beets
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon flavored jelly or honey I used peach habanero
• 16 wonton wrappers
• 1- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter

Instructions

• Peel beets. Roast one beet to be used for mixture.
• Dice one beet to be used to stir fry with ravioli. (Optional)
• Mix together cream cheese, goat cheese with jelly or honey.
• Roast red beets for 40 minutes at 375 until softened. Dice red beets. Place 1/2 cup or more of diced cooked red beets into food processor with cheese mixture, and mix until completely iincorporated.
• Wet the edges of two wrappers Put a teaspoon full of beet, goat cheese mixture on one. Top with wrapper. Cut out heart shape. Cover with damp cloth, as you continue to make ravioli. You can freeze them at this point.
• To cook, submerge in boiling water until they float to the top about 5 minutes.
• From this point, you can make eat cooked ravioli with butter. To get that red look, pan fry with remaining diced red beets with a tablespoon of butter. Once ravioli is cooked, toss in the pan with beets and cook a few more minutes tossing the beets over and under the ravioli. They will assume that deep beautiful color.
• Serve with the beets as a garnish.

Beet Goat Cheese Potstickers

• Place cheese mixture in center of won ton wrapper. Wet both sides of both wontons. Top with wonton, and pleat edges. Cover with damp cloth as you are making.
• Place very small amount of oil into a frying plan. Pan fry for 4 minutes without turning on medium heat. Add in hot broth or a little boiling water. Cover and steam to complete cooking for a few more minutes.

To make soup: Put ravioli or pot sticker into chicken broth. Add sauteed beet greens, finely chopped.

Notes

One option to fry the ravioli in is to use this red beet pesto.

The post Make Heart Shaped Beet & Goat Cheese Ravioli with Won Ton Wrappers appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

In the old days, this was simply a healthy salad.  Now, when I write about it, I think what are the limitations to this super healthy salad with saved brussels sprouts, red beet pesto, and red quinoa and what are the real benefits?

Whether you’re vegan, paleo, primal, or gluten free, this salad is for you with a caveat. The quinoa addition is the gluten free option, but not the paleo option, unless you’re going primal (following the Primal Blue Print as I do, and even then, it could be questionnable).  The parmigianno reggiano cheese is an option that can be removed for any vegan or strict paleo, but okay for primals.

The red beets would never work for something strictly low-carb, but don’t count them out entirely. The only thing I can never promise you is a low-fat option, because I never ever count my fat.  I love my extra virgin olive oil, and I’m never giving it up. I also vow never to use the word evoo!

If I just drove you crazy with these options and exceptions, imagine how we food bloggers feel. We want to please everyone, especially those committed to good health, but I cannot compromise the taste or joy of good food, with mostly false information about fat. I’m the ultimate super food lover, but I will not be seen with salad dressing on the side.

Whichever way you choose to make this, one bite of the shaved raw Brussels Sprouts mixed with this most delicious red beet pesto,  and you will want more. The nuttiness and earthiness of the beet pesto has an umami effect, and the crunchiness of the raw shaved Brussels sprouts satisfies that need we all have to crunch down on something. The red quinoa can be optional, but it adds the chewy texture and the protein, so this could be a complete meal. It’s stir fried after it’s cooked, which changes the texture a bit for the better.

Why this Healthy Salad with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Red Beet Pesto is Good for You!

Brussels sprouts, a member of the cruciferous, is the hipster vegetable of the moment, showing up in every kind of casual to fine dining restaurant because, like beets, they are available in the winter, and we’re all environmentally less guilty about that right?

If you need a reminder on why beets on good for you, I listed ten benefits here. Not the coolest or hippest seed as of late, often left back in the 1980’s, Sunflower seeds, are a super healthy antioxidant seed, full of Vitamin E , and a good source of selenium, calcium, manganese, and zinc. Extra virgin olive oil promotes cardiovascular health, good cholesterol, antioxidant protection for our blood vessels, is an anti-inflammatory, promotes bone health, brain health, lowers certain cancers, and seriously makes food taste better! Garlic is another food with super powers, promoting heart and brain health and protection from certain cancers, and much more. We like it for flavor.

So we have the health requests, the vegans, the vegetarians, the gluten free folks, the environmentalists and the paleo people covered, sort of. You’ll know what adjustments you need to make, but whatever you do, take the beet pesto idea and run with it. It made this salad a dream, and one I would put on any restaurant menu,  especially the hipster ones, but put it in your own kitchen, or do what I did. Deem it good enough to take to the Nashville food blogger’s pot luck.

I’m known for bringing this kale salad, to our blogger events,  and there was one couple who was disappointed that I didn’t bring it, but, hopefully, I’ve opened up some eyes about beets and Brussels sprouts. One new blogger that joined us hated beets before she tasted the salad. She still hates beets. Just kidding. She liked it. Does this makes me a vegetable evangelist!

The red quinoa is cooked, toasted a bit in the frying pan,  then tossed with freshly grated pecorino cheese.  The Brussels salads are shaved and raw, tossed with a bit of olive oil and lemon, salted and thrown into the frying pan with the red quinoa for just a snap and then tossed heartily with the beet pesto. The beet pesto brings this salad to it’s best self. I’ve made a different version of same salad here, delicious enough, but this is a case of more is more. It’s hard to get healthier than shaved Brussels Sprouts and Red Beet pesto.

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Super Healthy Salad- Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Beet Pesto

A super antioxidant powerhouse salad of raw Brussels sprouts, raw beet pesto, and red quinoa with olive oil, lemon and pecorino cheese.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound Brussels Sprouts
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon juice from fresh orange
• ¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 cup uncooked red quinoa optional
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• red beet pesto

Instructions

• Rinse Brussels Sprouts thoroughly. Remove some of the large outer leaves to roast.
• Using a mandolin, shred Brussels sprouts or using a chef’s knife, slice thinly.
• Mix together olive oil, lemon zest.
• Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil dressing just until sprouts are wet. Set aside. You will reserve the rest of the dressing for later.
• The quinoa is optional and a great addition for added protein and heft.
• Cook quinoa. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in mesh strainer under running water for two minutes. Place in pot with two cups water and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, cook for 15 more minutes. Place remaining olive oil in saute pan with 1 clove minced garlic. Lightly saute
• Add in one tablespoon butter and smoked almonds. Add quinoa.
• Stir for about two minutes to toast.
• Add in ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour toasted quinoa over the raw Brussels sprouts.
• Add in orange juice. Stir.
• Toss with 1/2 to 1 cup of red beet pesto.
• Serve at room temperature.

The post Super Antioxidant Salad: Shaved Raw Brussels Sprouts with Raw Red Beet Pesto appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Red beets or beet root? However, you describe this deep purple red root vegetable, there is intensity. People love or hate this earthy vegetable. But, I believe there are only two kinds of people regarding the beet. Those who love them, and those who are yet to be converted. I know this because I converted the biggest beat hater, my husband, years ago. Yesterday I converted a food blogger who ate this pesto, trusting me that it would be a good experience, even though she has always hated beets.

I made a trip to Denver this summer for an opportunity that never worked out, and because I’m such an optimist, I dug deeply to find something positive about the experience. The food was fantastic, no matter where I ate, especially my experiences at Root Down.

It all comes back to food, doesn’t it? Root Down has a restaurant at the airport and on my way home, I sampled a beet pesto and nearly jumped up and down. When an old food is prepared in a new way and I learn something, taste something new, I get excited. It’s my life’s study to appreciate food, especially vegetables.

They gave me the recipe; I changed it a tiny bit, using raw beets instead of pickled beets because I have a Vitamix that handles raw beets well, proven with this red beet smoothie. I think it’s better my way, but if you don’t have a super duper blender that will crush the beets, you can cook them first. I did add in a touch of balsamic vinegar in addition to orange and lemon, so there is plenty of acid, olive oil, garlic, and surprisingly, sunflower seeds.

The beet pesto saved the day because I tried to make this red quinoa brussels sprouts salad and the quinoa didn’t cook right. It didn’t have it’s usual bite. I always use Whole Foods red quinoa from their bin, but this time I had used a different brand. Time was short, and I decided I didn’t want to stop and bring a wedge of cheese to the party. So, I made this beet pesto, added it to the salad, and it was delicious and made all the difference. The sunflower seed flavor came through as well as the earthiness of the beets, but it was all subtle and well balanced.

Until I had this beet pesto at Root Down, served with a skirt steak, I’d thought I had done every kind of thing possible with beets including smacking them upside the head in my Vitamix.

The beet pesto is exquisitely nuanced with handfuls of sunflower seeds and basil, and good enough to just eat with a spoon, spread on toast, dollop on other vegetables, but I have to tell you, it’s a wonderful match for this shaved Brussels sprouts salad.

Whatever you choose to do with the red beet pesto, made with basil and sunflower seeds, you will choose to eat it all up. You’ll be amazed if you are a beet lover and never had beets this way, and amazed if you were a beet hater, because this will convert you.

More Pesto Recipes

More Red Beet Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Beet Pesto with Sun Flower Seeds

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup blended olive oil
• 2/4 cup basil
• juice of half lemon
• 1 cups raw beets peeled, chopped (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cloves chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon wine vinegar balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• If you have a Vitamix: Place everything in the vitamix and blend until you have a thick pesto-type consistency.
• If you don't have a Vitamix, soften the beets by boiling for 30 minutes. Cool completely.
• Put everything except the vinegar into the food processor and process until you have the consistency of pesto. Add vinegar a little at a time. It should not be the predominant taste. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold, room temperature or hot.

The post Raw Beet Pesto with Basil and Sun Flower Seeds appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Red Quinoa is a dish one cannot stop eating after the first bite. There is a lot going on with the varying textures from toasted quinoa, smoked almonds and raw Brussels sprouts, but it’s the powerful flavor from the king of cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano, that makes this dish a true winner. This is truly a super food ensemble, and can be served  as a side dish or main vegetarian dish, as quinoa is a complete protein.

When Legends from Europe invited me to participate in a recipe contest, I was excited. I’m Italian. I appreciate the fabulous imported meats and cheeses of Italy. I got to choose either the cheese or meat category and I chose cheese and was assigned Parmigiano Reggiano.

I would have been equally content to be assigned one of the other cheeses, but Parmigiano Reggiano and I go back a long long way, and this cheese has had a prominent place in many recipes here. I grew up eating parmigiano reggiano, always grated freshly at the table. I used to be perplexed because the rind was hard and had writing on it, and through a little girl’s eyes, I didn’t understand that this meant something very special.

The Brussels sprouts are shredded with a mandolin, marinated for a while in olive oil, lemon and garlic and then briefly returned to the pan of toasted quinoa and smoked almonds. The cheese is added in to the quinoa which benefits greatly from its robust flavor and added in once again to finish the dish. The smokiness of the almonds is a nice compliment to the Parmigiano Reggiano.

This can be a first course dish or a side dish, but feel free to make it your main dish, your meatless Monday, or your vegetarian option at the Holiday table. However, you choose to serve Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Toasted Red Quinoa, be sure to use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano.

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Legends from Europe: Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Toasted Red Quinoa, Parmigiano Reggiano

A combination of raw shredded Brussels Sprouts, red quinoa, flavored with lemony dressing and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.

Course Side Dish or Salad

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound Brussels Sprouts
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese divided
• 1 cup uncooked red quinoa
• 1/4 cup smoked almonds chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6-8 sage leaves

Instructions

• Rinse Brussels Sprouts thoroughly. Remove some of the large outer leaves to roast. Toss the outer leaves with a little olive oil. Roast at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until the leaves are crispy. These will be used for garnish at the end,
• Using a mandolin, shred Brussels sprouts or using a chef's knife, slice thinly.
• Mix together olive oil, lemon zest.
• Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil dressing just until sprouts are wet. Set aside. You will reserve the rest of the dressing for later.
• Cook quinoa. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in mesh strainer under running water for two minutes.
• Place in pot with two cups water and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, cook for 15 more minutes.
• Place remaining olive oil in saute pan with 1 clove minced garlic. Lightly saute
• Add in one tablespoon butter and smoked almonds. Add quinoa.
• Stir for about two minutes to toast.
• Add in 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour toasted quinoa over the raw Brussels sprouts.
• In separate small saute pan, make a browned sage butter. Brown the butter on medium heat. Add in the remaining minced garlic with sage leaves, until leaves are crisp but not brown.
• Pour sage browned butter over quinoa and brussels sprouts. Mix thoroughly.
• Top with remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and almonds, Roasted Brussels Sprouts leaves for garnish.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Legends from Europe is a 3 year campaign funded by the European Union and launched in the U.S. to increase awareness and celebrate “the legendary quality, tradition, and taste” of five authentic PDO products (Protected Designation of Origin) from Europe – Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di San Daniele, Grana Padano and Montasio.

The post Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Toasted Red Quinoa, Parmigiano Reggiano appeared first on Spinach Tiger.