Return of the beets. I think we all saw it coming!
Truth be told, I had no intention of making beet pesto this weekend. Then again, I also had no intention of drinking half a bottle of wine on Friday night before my long run on Saturday morning. So you know, you can’t always control where life takes you. Anyway, on Friday night I found myself at home after work with a big container of basil and a ton of leftover beet puree… and this happened.
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Need something to wake you up on a Monday? This oughtta do the trick.
Just looking at this smoothie is a jolt to the senses. I, for one, prefer dim lights in the morning until I’m fully awake. Where is the dimmer switch on this thing?! Please pass the sunglasses.
The electric color of this breakfast makes me giggle. It is just SO pink! And when you see that shade of pink, you know the culprit…
BEETS.
Beets in your breakfast. We’re doin’ it.
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Hello Monday! Hello President’s Day. And hello new favorite meal.
Do I say that a lot? I feel like I do. I have a lot of new favorite meals, I guess. Like one or two a week. I’m gonna go ahead and say that’s why I started blogging.
Anyway, this meal is certified extra special, because I made it twice in the past two weeks, despite the fact that it makes a huge amount. So yes, I’ve essentially been eating this for 14 days straight. It’s my personal little veggie heaven.
So what is it, anyway? It’s a tagine. Ta-what? Tagine, pronounced “tuh-jhean.” Tagine is a Moroccan stew that typically contains meat and is named after the awesome-shaped pot it’s traditionally cooked in. Not to worry, we’re making ours in a regular ol’ pot, since a tagine is apparently the only thing available on Amazon for which I didn’t register. Not that I didn’t want to… but I have a hard time justifying the space that single-function kitchen items take up. And I think it’s safe to say we’re going to have to move because of all the kitchen stuff I did register for… so anyway, no tagine necessary for today’s recipe. And apologies for the tangent, but apparently I have to bring my wedding into every conversation. It will only last for… 7 more months? Sheesh.
So we’ve got a pot. And we basically throw a whole mess o’ root veggies in that pot – specifically carrots, sweet potatoes, and golden beets. (I used beets of the golden variety because I wanted to avoid this whole dish turning bright pink. But if that’s your thing, go to town with red beets!) Also to that pot, we’re adding a healthy amount of warm spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and paprika. There are a handful of other ingredients, too (raisins, chickpeas, tomato paste, etc.), but those are the essentials. (Oh and raisin haters: you can totally use chopped dried apricots instead of the raisins.)
The result is a fragrant vegan stew that will take the edge off a cold winter’s day like that. And with these sweet root vegetables, the raisins, and the warm spices, the flavor is decidedly sweet. It’s worth mentioning that ahead of time, because if you’re against some sweetness in your entree, this one probably isn’t for you. We’re not adding sugar or anything like that, it’s just that the sweetness that naturally collects in a plant’s roots really comes through in this dish. It is so unique and I loooove it.
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Beet lovers, this one’s for you.
I would not necessarily consider myself a lover of beets. I adore beets in the right time and place (and have a slew of beet recipes on this site), but I also occasionally think they taste like dirt. Needless to say, I was a little wary of trying a beet ice cream. But once the idea suggested itself, I was too intrigued not to go through with it.
As I researched beet ice cream recipes, I found that the road was paved with mixed reactions: all the way from “rude essence of beet” to “damn tasty!” I decided to follow the recipe that was declared “damn tasty,” and was quite pleased with the results. It tasted nothing like dirt, and miraculously, seemed to be exactly the right time and place for beets.
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We’re back from Mexico!
Translation: It’s time for this detox salad.
Did I mention that we leave for a wedding on the East Coast on Friday morning? This is going to have to be some quick detoxing.
We didn’t go too crazy with the food and drink on our little vacation, buuut we were staying at an all-inclusive resort. AKA I had ice cream at lunch everyday (amazing!). Also, one night we tried about four dessert wines. They were reeeeally good. I’m hoping to do a little trip recap later in the week with pictures etc., so stay tuned. In any case, some healthy food can’t hurt over the next few days.
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