beets – Vegan Nosh

Ruby Treasure Pockets

Sherri Koehler — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:11:00 +0000

I’ve been really curious about bento lunches, I like the way the food is neatly arranged and portioned. I’ve not gone so far as to invest in bento boxes from Japan or making tiny flowers out of carrots, yet, but I have experimented with a couple of dishes that pack well into small containers for lunch. One of the easiest and tastiest are these little pockets of abura-age filled with rice and roasted beets. The beets turn the rice a gorgeous hue and look like little jewels. Christie supplied the lovely name for this dish.

The Stuff

2 large pieces of abura-age (check out an Asian, preferably Japanese market for these, we get them at Uwajimaya)
1 medium, red beet, peeled & diced into 1/2″ cubes
2 cups of cooked, short-grain brown rice
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (“sushi” vinegar)
1/2 T canola oil
salt/pepper
Furikake (to garnish, optional)

The Making

Pre-heat over to 375. Toss diced beet in canola oil and a little salt & pepper. Roast diced beet in oven until tender.

Add rice to a bowl and drizzle vinegar over. Stir vigorously, tossing the rice well in the vinegar and set aside to let rice absorb it. Once all the vinegar has been absorbed, add in the roasted beets and toss together to mix well. Rice will begin to take on a rich, red hue.

Slice the pieces of abura-age in half and carefully open up. Stuff rice, vinegar & beet mixture carefully, but firmly into the abura-age pouches. Sprinkle tops with your favorite furikake mix if desired.

Either serve immediately or pack into your bento lunch! The abura-age pouches make for a very neat way to enjoy the rice & beets. These even pack well for a hand-held snack while hiking!

The ruby beet pockets are at the top of this picture of a great, stir-fry medley we had a few weeks ago featuring broccoli/tofu/leek, the rest of the roasted beets not used for the rice pockets, and garlic/green beans.

Golden Autumn Stew

Sherri Koehler — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:23:00 +0000

Oh my goodness, I made the best stew tonight inspired by the veggies we had from last week as well as some of the new things delivered today. The result was a rich, almost buttery-tasting, golden stew.

The Stuff

3 leeks, sliced in 1/2 inch rounds & rinsed well
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 large golden beets, diced
4 medium carrots, diced
4-5 large stalks celery, diced
1/2 small white cabbage sliced into big shreds (about 2 cups)
3 cups cooked Great Northern beans
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

The Making

Heat oil in a large stock pot, add garlic and saute until garlic has browned. Add leeks and continue to saute until leeks are softened. Add beets, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Toss with leeks and garlic. Add 6-8 cups water, bring up temperature to almost boiling, reduce to low heat, cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Add in drained beans and salt & pepper to taste. Continue to simmer another 20 minutes. Serve with toasted croutons.

Makes… it is one of my stew recipes so it makes an enormous pot worth that you’ll eat all week (at least 6 quarts). I seem to be incapable of making a small pot of homemade stew.

Saag Spiced Beet Greens

Sherri Koehler — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:19:00 +0000

I was inspired by a radish greens & kale saag a friend of mine mentioned recently and wanted to give it a try. While at the co-op I was thrilled with some gorgeous beets with lush greens and brought them home to try out. I am going to be making this again and soon, so a picture of this beautiful dish will be up soon.

Leaves & stems of at least 4 beets are needed. You should end up with about a cup of chopped stems and around 4 cups of leaves. I’ve also made this with a mix of beet greens and chard. Kale would be great… pretty much any greens will do!

The Stuff!

beet stems, chopped
beet greens, large leaves torn a little
half a medium, sweet onion, diced
2 inches ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon garlic paste or 2-3 cloves minced (out of garlic, oops)
1 T mild oil
1/2 t Panch Poran (check out a Desi shop for this)
salt & lemon juice to taste

Saute onion in oil until it begins to brown and caramelize. Add in garlic, ginger and then the Panch Poran, cooking until fragrant. Then add in beet stems, a little salt, and cover. You may want to add a tablespoon or so of water to help steam the stems. After the stems start to soften a little add the greens and cover until they begin to wilt. Toss greens with stems and onions below to blend all together. Continue to cook covered until stems are cooked (we still like them kinda firm). Toss with a little more salt and lemon juice before serving.