Beets and Greens Bowl
Beets and Greens Bowl- This recipe is very flexible! Use whatever grain you have on hand. We like to make variations of this bowl all summer long, depending on what’s in season. As long as you have a nice balance of items, whatever you substitute in will be delicious. The best grain and veggie bowls have a mixture of salty, sweet, crunchy, creamy, and acidic (think something pickled, or a chevre cheese such as feta) ingredients, so try to fill each of those categories for the most satisfying results.
Ingredients:
1 bunch beets, with beet greens
2 cups snow or sugar snap peas, or 1 cup shelled peas
3 tablespoons minced chives
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup crumbled feta or chevre
Your choice of cooked grains such as farro, barley, quinoa, or rice
Handful toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Method:
Remove greens from beets, then chop the stem ends into ¼ inch pieces. Roughly chop the greens and set aside for later. Peel beets, then dice into ½ cubes. In a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, sautee chopped beets with your choice of oil and salt until tender. Placing a lid over the pan to create steam will speed up the process. Once beets are tender, remove from pan and add the chopped beet green stems along with a little more oil and salt. Saute stems until crips/tender, then add roughly chopped beet greens and cook until wilted.
Add stems and greens to the already cooked beets and set aside.
If using snow or sugar snap peas, remove stem end and the string that runs along the top of the pea, then slice diagonally into ¼ inch pieces. If using shelling peas, you can blanch them or simply toss them with the beets and greens if you don’t feel like blanching them.
Wisk the lemon juice, honey/maple syrup, and chives together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until incorporated, then season with salt and pepper.
To make the bowls, put about ½ cups cooked grains in the bottom of a shallow bowl, then top with beets and greens. Scatter the peas on top, then crumble your choice of feta or chevre over everything. Drizzle with the dressing, and top with any fresh herbs you have on hand such as thyme, dill, or parsley, plus your choice of toasted nuts or seeds for crunch!
