Serve Mustard Beets with Pine Nuts & Feta as a side dish or enjoy them as a meal with a simple spinach salad. With only a handful of ingredients, including fresh basil, this roasted beet recipe is easy to make & can be prepared a day or two in advance.
I’m going to spare you the absolute boredom of me harping on about how good beets are for you. Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past 300 or so years, no one needs to tell you that eating fruits & vegetables is good for you. You already know that. And if you’ve ever eaten beets or consumed beet juice, one trip to the loo will allude you to what a powerful antioxidant they are. I’ll spare you those details.
Before I flap on about the recipe I have to share a quick, albeit, dull story with you: As I’ve mentioned in other posts (which I’m certain you’ve read), my husband & I live in a small town of 700 people, 699 now since my mother-in-law just passed away. The town is having a water upgrade which involves replacing all the water pipes – in the whole town. Most days, the stellar team working on this agonizingly slow project, bust the pipes leaving the whole town with no water. This happened last week just as I finished peeling the beets for this recipe. And although I do state in the recipe to wear gloves, I didn’t heed my own advice so for 3 hours I was without water to wash my hands & clean up the ungodly crimson mess I’d made in the kitchen.
I’m certain the reason why I love to cook & eat beets is because I find them incredibly beautiful. Unless of course I’m unable to remove their stain from my hands, cutting board, counters etc. I also must like the flavor of them because one of my favorite sandwiches is beet, cucumber, tomato & onion. Have you ever tried it? No? You must.
See all those little pink stains on the cheese they’re my finger prints lol. That’s what happens if you don’t have any water. So if you’re camping, this might not be the recipe de jour (although beets wrapped in foil & tossed into hot coals to cook would be pretty fabulous), but if you’re looking for a more interesting side than steamed beans & carrots, then I urge you to check this recipe out.
And if you’re like me & are hell-bent on reclaiming your health & vitality this year by eating less meat & more fruits, veggies, whole grains & legumes, then enjoy these mustardy beets with some chick peas tumbled over them & a spinach salad simply dressed with a little balsamic & olive oil. And if you have any leftovers, use them to make this easy beet, feta & tahini dip. Until next time, enjoy, Lovoni x
a Pinterest pic to share
- 8 medium-sized beets (beetroot), trimmed of leaves (reserve fresh leaves for another use)
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup shredded basil, plus extra leaves for garnish
- 4 oz (113g) feta cheese, broken up (I use a Greek sheep feta from Costco)
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Wrap each beet in foil. Place on baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until softened. Wearing rubber gloves, peel away the skin from each beet and cut into wedges.
- Whisk vinegar, mustard, oil, honey, salt & pepper in a medium sized bowl; stir in basil. Add beets & toss to coat.
- Arrange beets on a serving dish, top with feta, pine nuts & extra basil leaves.
Welcome to Fresh Hunger – rustic, globally inspired food, peppered with Aussie style. I’m Lovoni – food creative, greedy guts & a lover of all things whimsical.
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