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

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Author: Annie
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 60

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Description

A tangy, oil-free dressing smothers earthy roasted beets – and is topped with a super simple tofu “cheez.”

Ingredients

Scale

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)

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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.