Flavor combining with sweet, sweet beets
August 2nd, 2010
I asked my husband, “Hey, do you think this sounds good together: beets, goat cheese, avocado and grapefruit?”
He said with mild confusion, “You sound like you’re pregnant.”
(And well, he’s referring to the fact that I am. Cool, huh?)
But pregnancy is not the point of this post, I promise. I just really, really thought that those flavors could work together for some reason. I had been standing in Whole Foods holding a bunch of beets and letting my palette whip up the rest of our dinner ingredients. And that’s what I’d come up with.
To compare my 13-week pregnant taste buds against common knowledge I turned to The Flavor Bible, a reference book full of flavor combos. And guess what it had listed under beets? Goat cheese (duh, very common), avocado and citrus. Among other things. But yes, they were all there. So I went for it!
I know, I know, someone is going to remind me that I’m not supposed to eat soft cheese while pregnant. I know. But I didn’t remember until I already had taken a few bites. Oops. I refuse to be paranoid though. Everything turned out fine, I promise.
The final result? I loved the beets, the grains, citrus and cheese together… and I liked the avocado just so-so. Let’s call the avocado “optional.”
Citrus-y Beets with Goat Cheese
1 lb. beets with greens attached
1 cup Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf or any hearty grain or combination
4 oz. goat cheese
1 ripe avocado (optional)
For dressing:
Juice of 1 medium orange (grapefruit may have worked but I chickened out)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt or to taste
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375F. Cut greens from beets, rinse and chop. Set aside. Scrub beets and wrap in foil. Roast for 1-1.5 hours, until fork tender.
Meanwhile, cook grains according to package directions. Saute beet greens with a bit of olive oil and salt, until soft. If using avocado, peel, pit and slice. Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
When beets are ready, remove from foil and under running tap water use your fingers to easily remove the skin. Slice beets. Arrange grains, greens, beets, avocado, and goat cheese on plate. Top generously with dressing.
Beets are an excellent sweet vegetable to eat because they help satisfy our natural urge for sweet tastes. That’s right – beets have more natural sugar than any other vegetable. Delicious! And with some minor adjustments, this recipe could totally be used during my upcoming 21 Day Detox. Pretty rad.
