The only thing better than a roasted beet is a roasted beet surrounded by an array of equally colorful, vibrant and amazingly tasty accompaniments. In this bowl, hearty slices of roasted beet sit upon a bed of turmeric-spiced quinoa, speckled with crispy apple wedges and chewy dried berries, all surrounded by an incredible selection of greens, namely fresh arugula and steamed beet greens (don’t waste ’em!). Drizzle on some zippy, herby chimichurri to tie the entire beet bowl together, and you’ve got yourself an astoundingly delicious and filling summer meal.
Chimichurri – How To!
Chimichurri is an astoundingly herbaceous sauce used in a lot of Argentinian fare, typically drizzled over grilled meats. And while this dish doesn’t contain any meat per say, what’s meatier than a beet, right? The bulbous magenta roots, once roasted until tender, seemed the perfect food over which to pour a zippy and flavorful chimichurri dressing.
Essentially, all you need for a truly satisfying chimichurri is a decent amount of olive oil, some acid like vinegar or lemon juice (I used both because why not?), and a veritable boatload of freshly chopped parsley. You can add other herbs to it, such as mint, but I kept it relatively simple, including dried versions of both basil and oregano instead.
Here’s what you’ll need to create a beautiful chimichurri sauce to compliment your meaty roasted beet slices.
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, plus some zest
- 2 tablespoons water
- ⅔ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Dash of salt
Roasting Beets 101
A roasted beet is truly a thing of beauty. Beautifully dark red and meaty, this root vegetable fits well centerstage in a dish. And better yet, roasting beets is super easy and, in my opinion, one of the better ways to prepare them.
1. Trim the beets to remove the green (save them for later in this dish!).
2. Wash the outside of 6 – 8 medium beet roots well.
3. Wrap the beets in tin foil and set on a baking sheet.
4. Bake the beets in the oven at 400°F (204°C) for 50 – 60 minutes, until a fork can be inserted into one with relative ease.
5. Wash the roasted beet under cool water to remove the outside layer of skin, as well as the spiky top part of the root and thin tail at the bottom.
Quinoa – Why You Ought To Eat It!
My eyes used to roll to the back of my head when I heard the word “quinoa.” To me, I had the impression that it was a very posh and unsubstantial food, and I never had any strong desire to eat it.
But this little grain isn’t by any means just a trendy health food, nor is it particularly expensive or inaccessible. After all, humans have been eating quinoa for thousands of years, and for good reason.
Quinoa is an ancient grain plentiful in protein, fiber and myriad vitamins and nutrients, including those all mighty b vitamins1. It’s pretty much the perfect base around which to build any bowl to help round out some potential nutritional gaps.
In my opinion, the trick to making quinoa truly palatable – and this applies for any of the grains and really food in general – is to season it well and pair it with other dynamic flavors (gasp!).
In the instance of this roasted beet bowl, I added nutritional yeast for some heartiness, ground turmeric for color, wedges of apple for texture and sweetness, and gooseberries (or dried cranberries) for additional tart and sweet and chewy funk. And when paired with the moisture of the zippy chimichurri dressing, it is perfection!
So ditch the plain, unaltered quinoa for this more vibrant and robustly adorned version of the grain.
Here’s the brand of quinoa that I used for this recipe.
More like this roasted beet root recipe?
Roasted Beets Bowl with Avocado Yogurt
Warm Spinach Salad with Pickled Beets
If you enjoyed this roasted beet bowl, consider leaving me a comment or recipe rating (clicking on the stars) before you go!
Turmeric Quinoa & Roasted Beet Bowl with Chimichurri Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 6 – 8 medium beets, de-stemmed, washed and wrapped in tin foil
For the Turmeric Quinoa
- 1 cup whole grain quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 sweet apple, cut into small wedges
- ¾ cup dried cape gooseberries or Inca berries, dried cranberries also work
For the Chimichurri Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, plus some zest
- 2 tablespoons water
- ⅔ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped and packed full
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Dash of salt
For the Greens
- Some beet greens, trimmed and washed
- Some fresh arugula, about 1 cup per bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Then remove the beet greens from the beet root (save them for later on in this dish). Wash the beet bulbs well, wrap them in tin foil, place them on a baking sheet, and bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until a fork can be inserted into the beets with relative ease.
- Next, together add the quinoa and water in a small pot, bring to a boil, and then reduce to low-medium heat, covering the pot with a lid. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes (or according to the instructions on the package), until fluffy. Once finished, add to the quinoa the nutritional yeast, ground turmeric, black pepper and salt. Mix well to combine, and then add the gooseberries and wedges of sweet apple. Set this aside until you're ready to serve the bowl.
- Next combine together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon zest and juice, water, fresh parsley (that's ⅔ cup packed full of chopped parsley), garlic cloves, jalapeño pepper, dried basil and oregano, black pepper and salt. Whisk together well, and set aside until you're ready to serve the bowl.
- Lastly, about 10 minutes before the beets are done roasting, trim down the leftover beet greens that you saved earlier. You want about 4-inches of the bright red stem remaining, the rest of the stem can be discarded. In a medium pot, bring a couple cups of water to boil, reduce the heat once boiling to low-medium, and then gently steam (in a steam basket) or boil (directly in the water) the beet greens for 4 – 5 minutes, or tender but not falling apart.
- Once the beets are done roasting, run them under lukewarm water, removing the spiky tails and furry tops, as well as the dirtier outside layer of skin (you should see a richer and smoother magenta skin underneath). Cut the bulbs into ½-inch circular slices.
- Now you're ready to assemble the bowl. Lay down a bed of turmeric quinoa, followed by some steamed beet greens and about a cup of fresh arugula, then some of the roasted beet circlets, and lastly topped with the chimichurri vinaigrette.
Video
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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