LET THE BEET DROP.

Har har har.

Last night, China and I cooked some of the myriad beets currently residing in the fridge. They came as part of a CSA, and it seems like nobody can cook them fast enough... they just keep coming! May had to use about ten of them in a roast the other night, which I am jealous I didn't photograph, because she used three varieties of beets and the resulting rosemary-sea salt bake was quite lovely.

So I got some oil on the lens of my cell phone camera... occupational hazard of shooting photos while cooking, so some of these look a little blurry.

We removed the beet greens from the beet, because they leach nutrients from the beet and go bad more quickly when they're attached. If cooked separately, they're quite nutritious. I'm cautious with how many beets I eat, because they are high in oxylic acid, which causes kidney stones. As my kidneys look like a zen garden, I'm cautious with my beet consumption.

Beets go in. I put them in a tin-foil airtight pouch and baked them for about 45 minutes.

Martha Stewart claims it's easy to pull beets out of their skins if you only refrigerate them. Things that are not true. She drove China to distraction.

Here's a closeup of the salad. Sorry it's kind of blurry... my camera lens has olive oil in it. Ansel Adams never had to deal with that.

RECIPE:

10-15 fresh beet roots

----dressing----

2 tbsp. grain mustard

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

Squirt agave nectar, to taste

1/4-1/3 c. olive oil

Fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste

----salad----

Mix of fresh summer lettuces. Here we used Bibb and Butter lettuces

Wild Rice Tempeh

Red onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After thoroughly washing beet roots, slip them in an airtight aluminum foil pouch and bake at 400 for 45 minutes. When they come out, slip them immediately in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to cool, then pull them out of their skins. This sounds easy. It's not. It's infuriating, and if you quit and decide to eat popcorn for dinner, no judgement.

While the beets are cooking, slice your tempeh into 1/8 inch thick strips, and fry like bacon in a skillet. Try to use minimal oil here. Think of Michio Kushi watching you, clicking his teeth every time you reach for the bottle. I seasoned my tempeh with a sprinkle of sea salt.

Slice your raw red onions. Assemble your dressing. Add your beets, and enjoy your salad!

Done! This is a beautiful salad filled with fresh ingredients from the garden. What a blessing to have so many fresh ingredients and wonderful people to cook for. Thank you guys for sharing your vegetables and your meal time with me!