Socca Beet and Onion Casserole

Whoa has It been a while since I have posted a recipe. Not that I haven’t wanted to or that I haven’t been making food, I just have been busy A.F. And truthfully I am as busy as ever but I happen to have my phone next to me when I was making this little casserole dish thing that I have made a few times now and I think it well worth a share.

What is it you ask? It is a creamy but dense chickpea base covered in tender roasted beets and onions with a lemon tahini drizzle. It is simple to make, super delicious, and can be tweaked in a million different ways to your liking.

Is it a fantastic dish to serve at say a Thanksgiving? Well yes, yes it is. You can serve it as a side or even make it bigger and have it as a sort of main dish. It’s a good protein that is naturally gluten and grain free, vegan, and blah blah blah. What really matters here though is that it is damn tasty and also bonus, it is so siimple to make and can even be prepared a day in advance so no stress. We will take all the wins here.

-C

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Socca Beet and Onion Casserole

makes a 8x8 casserole

• 1 cup chickpea flour

• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

• ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons cumin (feel free to omit or use a different spice.Thyme or rosemary are equally delicious )

• 2 medium beets

• 1 large onion

• a lemon

• 1-2 tablespoons tahini

• teaspoon or so olive oil.

Note. This dish is excellent made and eaten right away but also gets even better (in my opinion) cooled and reheated. Also you can change up the veggie situation and use whatever ones you like.

Place chickpea flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in boil water with a fork so that there are no lumps. Mix in cumin and a teaspoon of salt and a pepper. Scoop batter into a lightly oiled 8X8 casserole dish (you can use a round cake tin or a cast iron skillet as well) and set aside to rest for a few.

Preheat oven to 400.

Grab beets and onion and slice in about 1/8 thick slices. Layer slices on top of chickpea mixture, making it look pretty if you feel like it. Once the veggies are layered, lightly drizzle the top with a teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

When the oven is preheated, covered the baking dish and place in oven,. Bake covered for 1/2 hour then remove covering and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the beets are nice and tender and a tester poked into the center of the dish comes out clean. Remove from oven,

Once it’s out of the oven grab a little bowl and add the juice of the lemon to the tahini and mix. Season with salt to you liking.

Now serve. Drizzle the top with the tahini mixture and cut yourself a big old piece. Yes drizzle extra tahini on top. Sure squeeze on more lemon. You do you.

Store leftovers in fridge. Reheat in hot oven for 10 minutes..It gets crispy!

Beet Focaccia

This is me trying to get into the holiday spirit (and also trying to keep my kitchen warm. We have’t turned the heat on yet), but I think I might be thinking of the wrong holiday. Whatever. Pink bread can be spooky and Halloweenie right? And it really doesn’t even matter cause it is bread and pink and awesome so no holiday needed to eat it.

So this focaccia is pink because it is made with pureed beets and before you go and say anything, no it doesn’t really taste like beets. It tastes like amazing bread with a soft tender interior and a nice crispy crust that might have a very slight earthiness to it that only makes it better. It is simple and delicious and again, pink. That is it.

Now you want to make it and all you need is a few beets, flour, yeast, salt sand oil then you are good to go. What a nice little weekend baking project for the last few days of October. And if the pink bread creeps anyone out, well all the better!

Now to the beet focaccia.

The stuff. Roasted beets, flour, yeast. salt, water, and there should definitely be olive oil in this picture.. I don’t know where it went.

First, peel your roasted beets (or roast them and then peel them) The skin should come right off and a little left over skin is fine. Oh and make sure you eat left over skins. They are fanatic.

Now puree the skinned beets unite smooth.

Pureed beets and water go into a big bowl along with the yeast and get mixed around. Then add in flour and a little salt and mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Cover and left rise.

Risen dough.

Grease baking sheet and add a puddle of olive oil to the middle. Scrap dough into the oil and gently smoosh and push dough into pan. Cove and let rest for another 1/2 hour and preheat oven.

Once dough has rested, drizzle more oil on top and dimple the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle the top with some good salt and pop into the hot oven and bake for about half an hour.

Done!

Pink and pretty and all sorts of good. Focaccia at its finest!

Now cut it up and eat it!

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Beet Focaccia

makes a 9x13 inch loaf

• 4 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons yeast

• 1 cup pureed roasted beets (3-4 medium beets should do)

• 1 cup warm water

• 2-3 teaspoons salt

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

If you haven't roasted your beets yet, do that. Just toss beets on a sheet pan and stick into hot (like 450 degree) oven for about an hour until tender.

Start with beets. If still hot from roasting, wait until cooled and peel off skin. Place peeled beets into a blender and blend until smooth. You should get about a cup if puree. Any extra, well you got yourself a snack

Place the cup of beet puree into a large bowl along with the warm water and yeast. Mix until combined. Add in a teaspoon of salt and the flour. Mix until a shaggy and wet dough forms and there is not dry flour left. Scrap all the dough into a ball and then cover bowl with a bowl and place somewhere warm to rise for an hour, to an hour and a half (longer if your kitchen is cold)

Once dough has doubled in size, preheat oven to 425

Grab a 9x13 sheet pan and grease with a butter or shortening (this helps with sticking) them drizzle 2 tablespoon of olive oil in the middle. Scrap the dough into the oil oil puddle the with oiled fingers gently smoosh the dough into the pan. Cover again and le dough rest and poof up again for about 30 minutes.

The oven should be nice and hot and when you check the dough it should have poofed up a bit and spread little. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil on top of dough and with oiled fingers, dimple the dough. Press nearly to the bottom of the pan but be gentle about it to try and not knock all the air out. Once dimpled sprinkle the top with a teaspoon or two of good course or fishing salt and pop into the oven. Bake for about a 1/2 hour or until the top is starting to brown. Remove the bread from oven and let cool a few minutes in pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool some more. Or just cut into it warm and eat it.

Focaccia is best eaten within a day or two but freezes well.

Winter Squash, Beet, and Avocado Toast

I don’t know about you but this weekend I just want to keep things simple. And easy. (That applies to life and food.) And I’m pretty sure that I am not the only one.

Which brings me the toast, or fancy toast as some people call it. Simple in it’s own right of being a piece of bread cooked until lightly crunchy and toasty. Piled on with stuff, almost like a sandwich, but it left opened faced because, well just because. This particular piece toast is piled on with stuff is what I have been eating all week (roasted squash, beets and avocado) and am pretty sure is my new favorite food combination.

So for lunch, wanting to share my favorite flavors, I toasted a nice big piece of my homemade sourdough, grabbed the stuff (some people call left overs which you might have bunch of but I just call it ready to eat food) and made the mr a fantastic, beautiful, and delicious piece of goodness that we call toast.

The mr, well he was a little spectacle at first but one bite and he was in. Might just be his new favorite food combo too.

Gosh he is lucky I have such good taste. HA

Now to the Toast!!!

The stuff. A good add piece of bread. (or rolls, or baguette.. whatever you have). Also need mashed winter squash (I used mashed butternut and there is also sweet potato in there too). Roasted and sliced beet, 1/2 an avocado, a little red cabbage, salt and pepper, a splash of vinegar, and red pepper flakes.

How it’s done. Step 1. Toast bread to preferred toasted-ness. Step 2. Cover entire side (right to the edges) with mashed up winter squash. Step 3. Add on sliced roasted beet. Step 4. Layer on avocado then mash it up. Step 5. Add on shredded cabbage Step 6. Drizzle on vinegar and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Last step. EAT IT!

-C

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Winter Squash, Beet, and Avocado Toast

makes one great piece of toast

• a few slices of roasted or steamed beet (cold or warm)

• about 1/3 cup mashed winter squash and or sweet potato (cold or warm)

• 1/2 an avocado

• 1 big piece of good bread

• salt and pepper

• teaspoon red or white wine vinegar

• a small little handful of shredded cabbage (optional)

• red pepper flakes

Grab great bread and toast it to your preferred toastedness. Once toasted cover with mashed squash then add on the sliced beet. Now grab avocado, place on top of beets and mash with a fork, Top with shredded cabbage and drizzle the top with the vinegar. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flake.

Eat.

Sautéed Beet Greens and Onions

The short of it is, people, stop wasting your beet greens!

The long of it is that I went to pick up my farm share this week and ooh lovely we got bunch beets. Bunched beets are my favorite becuase when they come bunched, they come with the greens and I can honestly say that the greens are some of my favorites. So I grabbed my bunched beets and continued picking up the rest of my veggies. As I tuned the corner I passed the compost. Know what I saw? Beet greens. People were grabbing there beets and ripping the greens off and tossing them into the compost. Oh that just pissed me off. First because it still shocks me that people don’t realize they can, and should, eat the greens but more because I wish they just left the greens in the extras pile. I would have gladly taken them home. I almost went into the compost but there was some gross stuff in there and plus there was a line of people waiting patiently to get the to cucumbers. I had to walk away.

Oh how I can’t stand wasted food!

So now that we all know that beet greens are food and are amazing, you might ask how do you eat beet greens? Any way you want really, but you can use them like any other green. They are kind of like chard orkale, but more beety and are just really really good. One on my favorite and simple things to do is beet greens sautéed with garlic and ginger and a little soy with thinly sliced vinegary onions. Fast, easy, and tasty as hell.

There you go. Now never waste your beet greens again. Or if you don’t want them you can give them to me!

Now to the beet greens!

The stuff. A bunch of beet greens (you don’t need the beets) an onion (Or 2 really small onions) soy or aminos, garlic, ginger, red wine vinegar, and a splash of oil.

First, thinly slice onion and place into a bowl. Dump in the vinegar and toss around.

Grab the beet greens and cut the leafy parts from the stem. Chop the stems up into small pieces.

Place stems into a skillet with a tiny splash of oil and water and cook on medium heat.

Mince up garlic and ginger.

Once stems are tender, toss in the garlic and ginger and mix around. Keep on heat.

Now grab the greens and rough chop into smaller pieces

Once the garlic and ginger becomes fragrant, toss in the greens and stir in until wilted. Once wilted, dump in the soy and mix around. cook for another minute or so then remove from heat.

Toss in the onions and mix around.

Now just eat. From skillet or grab a bowl. You do you.

-C

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Sautéed Beet Greens and Onions

serves 1-3

• 1 bunch of beet greens

• 1 regular sized onions (or 2 very small onions)

• 2 cloves garlic

• inch piece of fresh ginger

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1-2 tablespoons soy, tamari, or aminos

• a splash of oil.

• a splash of water

First, if there are beets attached to the greens, cut them off and save them for later.

Take the onion and slice into very thin pieces, place into a bowl, and toss them with the vinegar. Set aside.

Grab greens and cut the leafy parts from the stem. Cut the stem up into little pieces and toss into a skillet with a splash of oil and a splash of water. Set on medium heat to cook. While cooking, mince garlic and ginger and once the stems become tender, toss garlic and given into the pan and mix around. Keep on heat. Now grab greens and give them a good rough chop then toss them into skillet once the garlic and ginger become fragrant. Mix around until wilted. Once wilted, add in the soy and mix. Cook for another minutes or so then remove from heat. Toss in the onions with the vinegar. And that is it. And now you eat.

Raw Beet and Orange Salad with Roasted Hazelnuts

My fingers are almost always stained a bright pink. My cutting board and counter tops, pink. Look closely at at dish towels and you will find pink blotches all over them as with any of my light colored clothes. You would think after years of trying to remove beet stains form everything that I would have gotten a system down or at least had a designated cutting board for them, but no. That would be to easy and really,  I think I kinda don't care.  So pink my things will be.

Beets. You either love them or you hate them. I love them (so much), the mr, well I am making him love them. He needs to love them because I end up putting beets in everything. If you are a hater, there is still turn into a lover. But maybe you have never even eaten a beet or haven't in a long long time.  I am actually surprised at how many people I have talked to that have never tried beets before. If you are one of those people, stop being that person and eat one already. OR if you think you hate them, why don't you give them a second try, I bet you will change your mind. Sweet but earthy and nice and crisp but kind of juicy..they really are super tasty. And not to mention all the great health benefits(you can look those up yourself) Yup, beets be the shit!

 And I love a good roasted beet, but really, I prefer my beets raw. Which brings us to this salad. A simple salad of grated up beets, orange juice and toasted hazelnuts. Fast, easy, and tummy satisfying.  As long as you don't hate beets (how could you) then you will love it.

Now you get those beets!

The stuff. A big beet, (or two smaller ones) an orange,( I bought navel oranges and sliced into this one to find it was a blood orange... not complaining), hazelnuts (raw or toasted) apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Optional but also very nice, some greens and or some type of grain. (I happen to have a some quinoa in the fridge)

Hazelnuts. If yours are already toasted, then no need to do it again, but if they are raw, toss them into the oven for a few minutes (hazelnuts taste so much better toasted)

And grab the beet and a shallow dish and grate it all up.

Add to the beet the juice of the orange, a small splash of vinegar to cut the sweetness, and salt and pepper to taste. Give it a good toss and let it sit for at least 5 minutes, if not longer.

And if the hazelnuts are in the oven, take them out when they are slight golden brown. If you want to remove the skins, just stick them in a clean towel and rub it off.

Everything all ready to go.. Any extras are added to bowls.

Beets into bowls, topped with toasted nuts and a cute little orange segment.(if you happen to have one lying around)

Isn't that just something. Beets are so pretty,, but more importantly, so freaking tasty good.

Enjoy Today!

-C

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 Raw Beet and Orange Salad with Roasted Hazelnuts

makes enough for 2 people as a side

• 1 large beet or 2 smaller beets
• 1 orange (I used blood orange but any orange would be good)
• handful of hazelnuts (either already roasted or raw that need to be roasted)
• apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• Optional - quinoa (any grain would work) and or greens

If you hazelnuts are raw, toss them onto a baking sheet ans place them into the oven at 300 for about 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown and smell so nice. When done remove and if you don't like the skins, place nuts in a clean towel and rub the skins right off.

Wash beet(s) and grate into a swallow bowl. I don't peel mine, but peel if you must. Add in the juice of the orange, a splash of vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix around and let sit for at least 5 minutes (the longer the better)

When you are ready for food, grab a bowl (add anything you want to add to the bottom, like quinoa or greens) and fill that bowl up with the beet salad and top with roasted hazelnuts.

Grab a fork and eat.