Fudgy Vegan Cupcakes with Pureed Roasted Beets

Sweet beets! We (the store and farm crews) got to taste test this recipe last week and it was super tasty.

Servings: 10 cupcakes (or 1 round or square cake pan)

2 medium beets
Orange juice or water
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup raw turbinado or granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola or melted coconut oil
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon Nash’s soft white wheat flour or hard red wheat flour
Scant 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder  + more for topping
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375°F, remove the stem and most of the root from your beets, and scrub and wash them underwater until clean.

Wrap beets in foil, drizzle on a bit of canola oil, wrap tightly, and roast for one hour or until a knife inserted falls out without resistance. They should be tender. Set in the fridge (in a bowl to catch juice) to cool to room temperature.

Once cooled, either finely grate or puree beets in a blender (adding orange juice or water to encourage mixing). Measure out 1/2 cup and set aside.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the almond milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup beets and beat until foamy.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift it into the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. Beat until no large lumps remain.

Pour batter into liners, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Do not try and unwrap them or they’ll stick to the wrapper.

Once cooled, dust with cocoa powder and store in an airtight container to keep fresh.

We thank Minimalist Baker for this recipe.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on January 13, 2014

How to Use Nash’s Root Medley

Keep your eyes out for our Root Medley bags — 5 pounds of beets, potatoes, sunchokes, parsnips and carrots, all just the right size for roasting or cooking in any of these tasty ways!

Braised
Saute oil briefly, then add broth and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. A mix of veggies, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces, can be especially tasty. Add fresh herbs, like rosemary, thyme and parsley, at the end.

Grilled
This makes the veggies caramelize and get a little crusty on the outside. Brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook about 10 minutes per side.

Steamed and Mashed
Steam or boil about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and put through a ricer or mash with a large fork or masher. Add some milk, butter, salt and pepper if you like.

Roasted
Cut into even-sized pieces and toss with oil, salt and pepper., and some spices like curry or cayenne to taste. Make one layer on a baking sheet and roast in a hot oven (375-425 F) for about 20 minutes. Turn pieces over and roast another 10 minutes. You can also add the raw veggies to a chicken or roast meat about 30 minutes before it’s done.

Baked into Chips
Slice the veggies very thin, rinse and pat dry. Heat oil to about 375 F. Fry chips in small batches until crispy on the edges. Let drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Deep-Fried
No need to peel! Cut into sticks and soak in cold water for half an hour. Pat dry. Fry in a deep-fryer, let drain and sprinkle with salt.

Au Gratin
Thinly slice, layer in a buttered baking dish with cheese, a little salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Pour in a cup of broth, cream or milk. Top with shredded cheese, chopped nuts or bread crumbs. Bake at 375 F about 45 minutes.

Shredded and Cooked into Hash BrownsShred in a large-hole grater, soak in cold water, drain and dry on paper towels. Heat oil in a frying pan and add shredded veggies in one large handful and sprinkle with salt. Reduce to low and cook until well browned. Flip and cook until tender.

Sliced/Shredded into raw salads, or roasted/boiled and tossed with vinaigrette.

Added to Soups and Stews.

Pickled
Cut into bit-sized pieces, place in a jar with several garlic cloves and cover with apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt, plus some dill or other favorite herbs.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on December 21, 2013

Golden Beets, Greens and Bow-Tie Pasta

Golden beets give bright spots of color against their own rich greens in this tasty recipe.

1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, quartered lengthwise through root end, sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch 2-inch-diameter golden beets with fresh healthy greens; beets peeled, each cut into 8 wedges; greens cut into 1-inch-wide strips
6 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and onions to same skillet and sauté until beginning to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to sauté until onions are tender and browned, about 20 minutes longer. Add garlic and stir 2 minutes. Scatter beet greens over onions. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil over; cover and cook until beet greens are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook beets in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beets to medium bowl. Return water to boil. Add pasta to beet cooking liquid and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Stir onion-greens mixture and beets into pasta. Add pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten. Season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Divide pasta among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve, passing additional cheese, if desired.

We thank bonappetit.com for this delicious recipe!

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Posted on September 19, 2013

Roasted Beet Hummus

Hummus? Made with beets? That’s right, give it a try!

2 medium-sized red or golden beets
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Juice of 1 lemon
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and trim the red beets and then wrap them in tin foil. Place them in baking dish with 1/8 inch of water and roast them for about an hour at 375 degrees.

In a small saucepan, add sesame seeds and just enough olive oil to coat. Toast them over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or as needed. When the sesame seeds turn golden, remove them from the stove.

When the red beets are fully cooked, peel them and cube them. Add the following ingredients to your food processor: chickpeas, toasted sesame seeds, roasted beets and a pinch of salt. Add 1/2 of the lemon juice to the mixture and puree it. Add more lemon juice as needed. Salt to taste and serve.

We thank www.mnn.com/food/recipes for this recipe.

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Posted on September 19, 2013

Roasted Beets, Sauteed Beet Greens and Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Nourish, Sequim’s new garden-to-plate restaurant and gathering place, is featuring a series of meals created using items from Nash’s farm share boxes each week.

Don’t throw away those beautiful beet greens. They are a great source of proteins, minerals and vitamins, as well as fiber. Here’s an easy, delicious way to eat the whole beet.

3 lbs beets with greens
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced chives

If you get beets with greens at your farmer’s market, you can cook the greens with the roots.

Cut greens from beets and put aside. Scrub beets and roast them at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until tender. Cool, peel and slice beets into 1/4″ slices.

Make sauce by mixing the sour cream, horseradish, lemon zest and chives. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Wash greens well, chop stems into 1/4″ pieces and chop leaves into ribbons. In a sauté pan, melt the butter, add greens and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Sauté beets in a little butter until warmed through. Place on top of greens. Drizzle with horseradish sauce.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on August 22, 2013

Beet Chunky Pesto

Nourish, Sequim’s new garden-to-plate restaurant and gathering place, is featuring a series of meals created using items from Nash’s farm share boxes each week. Have you ever considered making pesto out of a root vegetable? This beet pesto is as amazingly tasty as it is brightly colored!

4 beets, roasted
4 cloves garlic
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup walnuts or cashews
1/3 cup cilantro
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

There are so many types of beets to try in pesto!

Roast beets, cool, peel and chop.

Add garlic, orange zest, orange juice, nuts and cilantro to the food processor and pulse until chunky. Add the beets and pulse until the mixture is completely combined. It should look like very dry pesto at this point. Add in the olive oil and process the ingredients together quickly. Season to your taste.

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Posted on August 8, 2013

Beet, Hazlenut and Goat Cheese Salad

If you’re a Nash’s Farm Share member, you’ll find both spinach and beets in your box this week!

Approx. 5 beets (1 bunch), cubed
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Handful chives, chopped
3-4 leaves basil, chopped
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped
1 small bunch baby spinach (approx. 1 cup)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Honey (optional)
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Roast the beets in a roasting pan with melted coconut oil for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with honey and balsamic vinegar if you like.

We thank Primal Bliss for this recipe.

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Posted on August 8, 2013

Beet Jalapeño Salsa

Did you know that beets make a tasty salsa?

4 medium beets
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling over beets
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons shallots, finely diced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon jalapeño, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh mint, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, minced
2 teaspoon lime juice

To roast beets, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim tops off beets, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap them in aluminum foil (or put in small roasting pan with lid) and roast until tender, about 40-50 minutes. When cool enough, peel and dice the beets.

While beets are roasting, place the shallot, jalapeño, ginger, garlic, mint, cilantro/parsley, lime juice and 6 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Combine salsa and peeled/diced beets, stirring gently. Taste for seasoning.

For a milder version of this recipe, try our Mild Beet Salsa.

We thank Karolina Tracz for this recipe.

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us how it turned out!

Posted on May 1, 2013