Balsamic Glazed Beets

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
3 1/2 lbs. beets- cooked, peeled, and sliced (click here for help)
Beet greens- washed
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T pure maple syrup or honey
1 T olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 t cinnamon

Directions
1.    In saucepan stir together vinegar, syrup or honey and olive oil.
2.    Add beets and greens and heat over moderate heat until heated through.
3.    Add cinnamon and salt & pepper to taste.
4.    Serve warm or at room temperature.
5.    Can be made one day ahead.

Carrot Soup for a Rainy Day

It has been a wet, cold day, and I've been home with a sick child. When given the opportunity to choose between chicken/beets/greens and carrot soup, he chose the soup (and we've never made it before). So grateful to be led down this road--it was just what we needed to nourish us both.

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed in a fine mesh strainer
2 cups water
1 T Garlic Grapeseed Oil* or other high heat oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 T ground cumin
1 T turmeric
4-5 carrots, roughly chopped
3-4 beet green stems (optional), rough chopped
handful of beet greens (or other green)
4- 6 cups stock or water (or combination of the two)
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
raw pumpkin seeds (or sesame seeds or walnuts), dry roasted in a skillet
fresh, flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (cilantro would be yummy, too!)
*email here to order

Directions

1. Place rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water in saucepan with tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
2. While quinoa cooks, place oil in bottom of soup pot and turn heat to medium. Once the pot warms, add the onion followed shortly by the garlic. Saute together for 3-4 minutes on medium-low.
3. Add cumin and turmeric and coat well.
4. Add carrots, beet stems, beet greens, and stock. Turn heat to medium/medium-high until it just boils, then reduce to simmer and cook 20 minutes or so, until veggies are soft.
5. Add quinoa to soup pot followed by ginger, salt, and pepper. 
6. Use an immersion blender to blend all ingredients together to a smooth consistency. Add stock or water as necessary. Taste, adjust seasonings and blend one last time.
7. Top individual servings with parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!
8. Freeze leftovers to pull out for the next rainy day.

Beet, Butternut, and Turnip Soup

We got a couple of beets with their greens and some tiny turnips with massive greens and butternut squash in our CSA box this week. Truthfully, I don't particularly like turnip greens, but I don't like to throw good, fresh, local, organic food away either, so I got busy trying to figure out what to do with them. What started as an experiment turned into a nice dinner. AND it is full of great nutrients like calcium, vitamins A & E, iron, and potassium, not to mention the grounding energy the beet and turnip roots give it in addition to the sweet flavor of the butternut squash.

Ingredients
1 T coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 small beets, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
some really small turnips (just washed and trimmed them)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
6 cups water
salt to taste (FYI: I used quite a bit)
1 bunch beet greens, washed and chopped into bite size pieces
1 bunch turnip greens, washed and chopped into bite size pieces
leftover cooked quinoa--maybe a cup or 2 (use any whole grain)
1 can garbanzo beans

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, melt the coconut oil on medium-high heat and add the onions. Saute about 10 minutes, add the garlic and keep sauteing about 5 more minutes.
2. Add the beets, turnips, butternut squash, water, and salt. 
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes (don't let things get too mushy).
4. Add the greens, leftover quinoa, and beans and continue cooking for about 10 minutes (try to keep the greens green!).
5. Adjust salt to taste and serve hot.
6. Enjoy!