Last week when I went for groceries, the goal was to make the cart look like a CSA box. Midwinter legumes, grains and soups have been great, but this time of year you may feel your body craves the vitamins from more rainbow-colored foods. At the grocery two things particularly caught my attention: beets and greens. I bought four hefty deep purple roasters as well as mounds of kale and swiss chard. Last week’s Beet Sweet and Kale Soup was so satisfying, I’m loving the look of the ruby-red long grated strands, so having two of the beets already roasted in the fridge made this warm salad really easy to make. I filled the nests with a Greek yogurt seasoned with salt, pepper and a bit of minced ginger, but can imagine them stuffed with sautéed mushrooms and goat cheese, humus, or just shaved pieces of Pecorino Romano.
This will make approximately two dozen nests depending on how large the beets. The beets I had were big ones – about four inches in diameter!
Ingredients:
- 2 large beets roasted then grated
- 1 inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbs. minced red onion
- salt/pepper
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/2 cup semolina flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions: Preheat oven 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients and spoon into greased muffin tins. Use the back of a spoon to form an indentation in each mound of beets. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the nests immediately from the muffin tins or they may stick.
Vegetarian Perspective 