Raw Beet Salad

My husband doesn't care for beets; they simply don't appeal to him. On the other hand, I happen to L-O-V-E beets boiled, steamed, pickled or glazed. But, until now they have always been cooked. Eating beets raw maximizes the benefit you get from all the live nutrients - vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C.

Ingredients:

2 large beets (pH of 5.5 - alkaline forming)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ small onion, finely minced
I clove garlic, finely minced (or garlic powder to taste)

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse the beets to the consistency of thick apple sauce.
   
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend well.
3. You can either serve the beets right away or marinate for a couple hours or overnight before serving for added flavor.

Try experimenting by making this raw beet salad with one beet and one other root vegetable such as turnip, rutabaga, carrot or parsnip. Try grating or cutting the vegetable(s) into very small bite-size chucks. For variety, add freshly chopped cilantro, parsley or one of your favorite garden herbs. Serve on a bed of greens, topped with crumbled feta cheese or blue cheese.

Meatless Monday Campaign

After a busy weekend of preparing food and entertaining guests, I wanted something on this cold and frosty day that was warm, nourishing and easy to fix for dinner tonight. One of the benefits of be a member of Linkedin.com is that you can join groups, and groups email digests, and group members share a plethora of information. The downside, of belonging to any online community or surfing anywhere on the Internet is that you can be inundated and overwhelmed with solicited content. I recently had to change a bunch of email preferences to curb the quantity of emails I am receiving daily and weekly. That said, from time to time I find a tidbit of info that has meaning or benefit to me. This is how I found out about the Meatless Monday Campaign and this delicious morsel shared by Tracy Ritson of the Green Publishing Group on Linkedin.

The following recipe "Meatless Monday Winter Warm-Up - Hearty Lentil Soup" comes from Angela on Sustainable Scribe by PLANET FORWARD.

"Monday! As you may or may not know, Planet Forward supports the Meatless Monday campaign – a non-profit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It’s part of an eco-friendly worldwide movement to reduce consumption of animal products in favour of more plant-based meals to fight global warming and improve our personal health. This week we bring another vegetarian recipe for you to try.

Beans are a staple for vegetarians as they are a healthy (and fat-free) source of protein and carbohydrates. Plus they are more familiar to flexitarians and other non-full-time vegetarians than tofu, tempeh and seitan. Our hearty lentil soup recipe can be made ahead of time and you can even freeze it (in an air-tight container) if you make too much. I am a huge soup fan especially during the long-cold Canadian winter and this is one of my favourites.

Hearty Lentil Soup - serves 4 people as a main course with a salad and bread (gluten-free ideally but whole-wheat/grain is good too)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt/pepper to taste (if needed)
• Tabasco Hot sauce (optional and to taste)

Note: To the above, I added green onions, corn, peas and fresh tomatoes quartered, and a half tablespoon of Mountain Rose Herbs All Purpose Seasoning.

Preparation:
In a large pot, saute onions, celery and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions are transparent. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaves and salt/pepper (if needed).

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in hot sauce (if desired) and that’s it. Easy-peasy. Serve with a side salad and fresh bread to round off a great and satisfying meal.

Don’t forget - to join the movement, sign up online by going to your local Meatless Monday site or you can go here http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ to learn more. If this Monday passed you by, next week is another chance to go meatless – it’s only one day for an eco-friendly cause. Join us.

Bon (vegetarian) Appetit!" - Angela

Sautéed Parsnips & Carrots with Agave

Thanks again to Effie for contributing another wonderful new addition to our family's traditional Thanksgiving meal. I absolutely love parsnips!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound each of carrots and parsnips, peeled and cut into 4-inch sticks, cubed and/or diagonal slices
Sea Salt (or coarse kosher salt) and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon blue agave sweetener or honey (wildflower) 
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)


Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat.
2. Add the carrots and parsnips.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Sauté until the vegetables begin to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes.
5. Add the butter and agave sweetener to the vegetables.

Notes: (1) This recipe can be made a day ahead, covered and chilled. (2) For those who have never seen, eaten or cooked a parsnip, click here. (3) Rosemary is a wonderful, aromatic herb, but we prefer this dish without it. (4) If you are planning on sharing your meal with your baby or toddler, I suggest you read this warning about giving honey to babies.



Serves 6-8

Pan-Roasted Turnips

Eat your vegetables. Eat a variety of vegetables! Splendid Table on NPR featured this delicious Italian pan-roasted turnip dish. It will change your mind about some of the under-appreciated vegetables you pass by at the market. Follow this recipe and add a variety of other root vegetables like rutabagas and parsnips for a colorful and flavorful medley.

 Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds turnips, scrubbed and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat until it melts and begins to brown. Add the turnips, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat well. Add the poppy seeds and sauté until the turnips are light golden brown, 8 to 9 minutes.
2. Add the paprika, tossing to coat. Add the vinegar, bring to a boil, and cook until it has evaporated. Serve hot.
   
   Excerpted from Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home. © 2005 by Mario Batali. Published by Ecco Press.
   
   Makes 4 servings