Category: Vinaigrette

Marinated Beets

2/16/2014

You either love 'em or hate 'em. I happen to love them. I like the texture, color, and intensity of a marinated beet. My heart BEETS for them!! I'm all about the pun when I am preparing my beets, so you better believe I'm singing Michael Jackson's "Beat It" over and over again. That's when my daughter Margaret walks in and usually says, "You're making beets again." I'm so passionate about this vegetable that I contributed a blog post on beets for my friend Kate's activewear company called Dimvaloo. You can find it here. I wanted to include the recipe on my own blog as well so nobody misses a beat with beets.

Marinated Beets

Ingredients

1 bunch beets (about 5-6 medium sized beets)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 t dijon mustard
5 T. olive oil

Take leaves off beets and save. These are great for sauteing in olive oil and are highly nutritious as well. Peel beets and cover with water in a saucepan. (Or, you can boil beets unpeeled and when done, gently rub skins off under cold water. Either way works fine.) Boil gently for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove beets from water and slice into quarters or the size you desire. In a bowl, stir together balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and dijon mustard. Slowly add olive oil and blend using a whisk or immersion blender. Pour over beets and toss. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy them on their own or added to your favorite mixed greens along with roasted pecans and fresh goat's cheese.

If you choose to boil beets with skins on, you can simply peel skin from cooked beet once cooled. It's a little messy, but just as easy as peeling.

Beets are loaded with vitamins like folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid. Beets are also high in minerals like manganese, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium. That's quite a nutritional bang for your buck.

BEWARE: T.M.I.
I also want to give everyone the head's up that once you eat this delicious vegetable, it's beautiful red color may play out in your potty. After enjoying beets several nights in a row, I woke up with what I thought was blood in my urine. Gasp!!! The potty was reddish pink! I gave myself 3 days to live while I looked up my doctor's phone number. Then I racked my brain and tried to figure out what I was doing different because I had no symptoms. I know that many vegetables can affect urine (think asparagus!). Sure enough, I searched online and beets were the culprit. So I don't have a kidney tumor after all. Just those silly beets playing a trick on me. Read about it here and save yourself a trip to the doctor!!

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Paleo Cooking Class at Vin de Set

11/10/2013

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Owner Paul Hamilton of Vin de Set

Last week, a group of us enjoyed a great evening of paleo cooking and wine pairings from Paul Hamilton, owner of Vin de Set, a lovely St. Louis restaurant known for it's great rooftop view and good, quality local offerings. Paul has been a paleo convert himself and has learned firsthand the difference a diet in quality meats, veggies, fruit, and healthy fats can do to improve health. We were treated to an amazing demonstration and enjoyed the courses he made as we watched him cook. After the show, I spoke with Paul and asked him if it would be ok to share some of the recipes he used. Graciously, he agreed and below is one of the delicious dishes we had that night. I will do future posts on each of the delightful courses we had. If you ever get a chance to visit his restaurants (Vin de Set and Eleven Eleven Mississippi), know that they will happily cater to a paleo or gluten free diet. They strive to use the best quality, local ingredients and after one bite, you know that it is worth it. I just hope he didn't see me licking my plate.

Kale and Swiss Chard Salad w/ Citrus Vinaigrette

Our first offering was a delicious blend of kale and swiss chard tossed with red onion, roasted walnuts, cranberries and raisins. The citrus olive oil vinaigrette was tart and tasty and complemented the greens well. If you've never tried greens before, this is the way to go.

Citrus Vinaigrette
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 t dijon mustard (I added this)
1 shallot, finely chopped
zest from one meyer lemon
3 T fresh meyer lemon juice (sub regular lemon)
1/4 C orange juice
2 T. honey
salt and pepper to taste

In a measuring cup, add vinegar, mustard, shallot, lemon zest, lemon juice, orange juice, honey and salt and pepper. Mix with whisk. In a slow, steady stream, add olive oil, whisking to incorporate oil with vinegar and spices. Set aside and prepare salad greens.

Salad
1/2 bunch fresh kale, stems removed and chopped
1/2 bunch of fresh swiss chard, stems removed and chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
6 oz roasted walnuts, chopped
4 oz dried cranberries
4 oz dried golden raisins

In a large bowl, combine kale, swiss chard, and enough dressing to coat evenly when tossed. Divide dressed greens between salad plates. Spread remaining ingredients evenly among the salads.

Enjoy this delicious salad as an accompaniment to any meal! I will post the other recipes soon...

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Easy Vinaigrette

8/20/2012

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I don't wanna say nothin' but some people are so dumb. (Jersey accent) I mean, it is SO EASY to make your own salad dressing that it just seems silly to buy the crud that's out there in the stores which is usually is filled with sugar, bad oils, and all kinds of other junk that you really don't want. So here is all you need to make a wonderful vinaigrette at home. You can make it a batch at a time or mix a big shaker of it to have on hand when you need it. I bought this great OXO shaker at Bed Bath and Beyond and I love how practical it is for making and storing your delicious homemade dressing.
The basic recipe is 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc), 2 parts olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. I use the same basic recipe whether I'm making red wine vinaigrette, balsamic, white wine, or even lemon vinaigrette. Feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices too. Below is what I use to make a big batch.

Ingredients:
1 t. dijon mustard
1 t. kosher salt or sea salt
1/4- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
ground pepper

Place first three ingredients in the bottom of your shaker (or in a liquid measuring cup). If using a shaker, add the oil all at once. Shake until everything is emulsified and thick. Add more salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
(If using the measuring cup, slowly add the oil while you whisk it into the vinegar until all is blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.) Use on your salad and store the rest in the shaker until next time! If I am using a really good quality balsamic like the kind I find at Vom Fass, the dressing tastes heavenly. I've been known to put some in a small container and bring it to a restaurant to dress my own salad. Go ahead, give it a try. And for crying outloud, stop buying the Kraft!

Here is a picture of the lunch I had today. Leftover brisket that my husband made in his Big Green Egg (by far the BEST brisket he's ever made!), No Potato, Potato Salad from Everyday Paleo, and a handful of spinach leaves dressed with the balsamic dressing I made last night. If you've never tried this "potato salad" recipe, you MUST try it. The cauliflower is a nice stand in for the potatoes. And you don't get that full, sick, food buzz that you can sometimes get with heavy potato salad. It was nice being able to just use the dressing I had on hand from last night too.

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Marinated Beets

Marinated Beets

Paleo Cooking Class at Vin de Set

Kale and Swiss Chard Salad w/ Citrus Vinaigrette

Easy Vinaigrette

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