Its so important to eat well and take care of our bodies and souls during this time of the year. Especially with the pandemic, cold season, working from home, kids zoom classes, etc not stressful at all 🤪!! we got to treat our bodies right. This time Of year there are also all sorts of root vegetables that are in season, they are super delicious, and nutritious such as beets that are in season during summer till late fall, but you can also find them year around.
They are naturally sweet and earthy. Roasting the beets intensifies their flavor and sweetness, plus their beautiful color, its like natures candy. They are also loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. Growing up this salad was made with diced up beets and then tossed in the tahini dressing. It was often served for lunch with pita bread. I am pairing the sweet beets with a tahini and kefir base that’s flavored with sumac, thyme and lemon. The earthy flavor of tahini pairs so well with the sweet beets. And Kefir adds loads of protein, vitamins and probiotics to help our gut, and is essential to our immune system. This vitamin powerhouse salad makes for a perfect meal on its own with some greens or serve it as a side dish next to pan seared fish. I hope you make this salad and stay UP BEET ❤️I cooked this live on @lifewaykefir you can check it out on their IGTV
Roasted Beets on a bed of kefir lemon, sumac and tahini
Perfect as a salad, a side dish or as an appetizer
Serves 3-4
Roasting time: 45 min
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients
6-8 small beets or 3-4 medium to large yellow or red, or a combo *
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Roasting beets:
*Beets: The entire beet, from the roots, stems, and leaves are edible. The root bulb is most often consumed, you will find beets often sold loose at the market, that's simply because the leafy greens will wilt a lot faster than the bulb. The dark leafy greens are high in calcium, vitamins, and iron. Just sauté them in a bit of olive oil, garlic and a squeeze of lemon. They are perfect with eggs, in omelets or anywhere you would use spinach. Consume the leafy greens within few days of purchasing. While the bulbs wrapped in a dry towel and away from moisture will last few weeks to even few months in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Prep your beets:
Cut off the green tops, Scrub the beets well. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil
wrap them loosely in aluminum foil.
Place the beets on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Check after the first 20 minutes. If a skewer slides easily to the center of the beet it’s done. Otherwise continue cooking
After the beets cool enough to handle. Place them in a paper towel and rub off the skin it should come off easily. I also sometimes use a vegetable peeler or a pairing knife if you have stubborn skin.
Storage: Roasted beets can be refrigerated whole or sliced in airtight container for up to 1 week.
Ingredients Tahini Dressing:
You can adjust any of the ingredients to your taste.
2-3 Tablespoons tahini
3 Tablespoons water {more of less depending on the consistency you like}
1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated
1/2 cup strained kefir **
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
1/2 teaspoon sumac plus more to garnish
(Optional) 2 Tablespoons fresh herbs parsley and mint or thyme are perfect here
salt and pepper
a drizzle of honey (optional)
*To Strain your Kefir you will need:
A bowl
A strainer and a paper towel or cheesecloth
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided your the kefir right inside. Make sure your strainer doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. The whey will drip in the bowl. Ideally you want to do this overnight for a thick and spreadable kefir. But 45 minutes while your beets roast is also ok. Discard the whey and store any leftover strained kefir in the fridge.
Directions:
While the beets are cooling make the Lemon kefir Tahini Sauce.:
Add all of the ingredients and 1 tbls olive oil to a bowl and whisk to combine..
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Slice the beets thinly with a sharp knife.
Plate the tahini kefir dressing at bottom of a serving Plate
Top with the sliced roasted beets
Drizzle with olive oil and honey and a sprinkling of thyme
Season with salt and pepper
You can also choose to dice up the beets and toss them in the tahini dressing just like my grandmother would .
Either way it will be delicious and you will mop up the entire plate
Salad stays well in the fridge 3-5 days in an airtight container
Sahtain,
mai
@almondandfig