Our resident green thumb – Kel – grows beets for one reason and one reason only: so we can devour the greens. It turns out that beet greens are our absolute favorite, though the Swiss chard, kale, spinach, and mustard greens he grows are mighty tasty in their own rights.
Sautéed with plenty of garlic, black pepper, and a splash of liquid aminos – – boy howdy! Beet greens beat all. Which is interesting because neither Kel nor I love that dusky root, the beets themselves. But with greens come beets and we don’t want to waste them. Over the years I’ve played with quite a few recipes and I’ve finally come up with one that make us both happy. The keys are roasting the beets and then smothering them in a tangy dressing that features a beet’s best friend, dill weed.
This is an easy side dish that complements pulled jackfruit barbecue sandwiches quite nicely – or alongside a rich lentil loaf (I love the recipe from the Oh She Glows Cookbook). And, oh, I do have one other recipe that employs beets in a pretty terrific way: Chocolate-covered Beet Pretzels with Sea Salt & Cacao Nibs.
In case you missed last week’s post, I just “released” an e-book, TEAse Me: 15 Plant-based Recipes Inspired by the World’s Favorite Beverage and there are two ways you can get it. Subscribe to An Unrefined Vegan (the sign-up form is on the left side of the screen) or purchase it for $5.99 here. All 15 recipes (+1 bonus recipe) – ranging from drinks to breakfast-lunch-dinner to desserts and snacks – are oil-free and low in sugar. There are full color photos of each recipe plus resource and nutrition guides. Thanks to those of you who bought the e-book already and a warm welcome to new subscribers!

Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish-Dill Dressing
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 60
Description
A tangy, oil-free dressing smothers earthy roasted beets – and is topped with a super simple tofu “cheez.”
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 large cloves garlic (no need to remove peel)
- 4–5 medium-sized beets, leaves and stems removed
- 1 Tbsp. capers, drained
Cheez
- 1/2 cup extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained & crumbled
- 2 tsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- pinch sea salt
Dressing
- 3 cloves roasted garlic (the ones that roasted w/ the beets)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tsp. prepared horseradish (not “sauce”)
- 1 tsp. Dijon or spicy brown mustard
- pinch ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. dried dill weed (or use fresh)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450-degrees F. Wrap the beets and garlic in foil and roast for about 40 minutes. Let cool completely. Once cool, clean skin off of the beets and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (or slices, if you prefer) and put the chunks into a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the capers. Remove the skin from the garlic and set aside.
- While the beets and garlic roast, prepare the cheez. In a small bowl, stir the crumbled tofu with the remaining ingredients. Let sit for a while so that the flavors can really get into the tofu.
- When the beets and garlic have cooled, make the dressing. Place the peeled garlic cloves, vinegar, broth, horseradish, mustard, and pepper into a blender. Process until smooth. Now add the dill weed and pulse a few times to incorporate. The dressing is ready to go! Add it to the beet chunks in the bowl and stir well to combine. Divide the salad between four plates and then top the salad with the cheez. Serve with fresh dill, if desired.
Notes
- Once roasted the beets should be easy to peel – the skin should kind of rub right off. If not, use a paring knife to slice it off.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 61
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 224
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 0

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Looks delicious Annie!
Hey, Amy! Thank you!
We need to have a dinner party at your house soon. The photos are gorgeous!!!
How fun would it be to cook together :-)? Thanks, Kathy!
Your pictures are beautiful Annie, so rustic and gorgeous! Dressing sounds amazing!
Thanks, Brandi!
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We also grow different kind of beets & love the green leaves & stems too. the stems are also lovely & tasty like the stems of chard! I will make this recipe using fresh leaves & beets & dill from our garden! MMMMM!