With the brief drop in temperatures and an extra large batch of beets from my csa share, it felt right to turn on the oven once again to bake up this chocolate loaf. After some deliberating I settled on calling this a bread rather than a cake. While it feels slightly indulgent for breakfast, it’s a bit less sweet than most cakes and those beets make it extra redeeming. The beets also keep the bread moist and soft and add a subtle earthiness to deepen the chocolate. I like it simple and unadorned especially for breakfast, but if you’d like to serve it as a dessert, a drizzle of chocolate ganache would help dress it up and add a touch of richness or a quick dusting of confectioners sugar would also do nicely. Serve warm and along with a dollop of whipped coconut cream. [Read more…] about Chocolate Beet Bread
Continue ReadingCinnamon Beet Rolls
Over the summer our local CSA hosted a “kids on the farm” day and it was one of the highlights of our summer. It was such a treat to visit a real farm and see how and where all of our summer produce is grown. The kids went on an edible farm walk through raspberry bushes, fields of kale, rows of tomatoes, and even explored a mushroom forest. They learned about healing herbs and made little pouches of homemade tea. They were able to help feed the pigs and visit the cows. The experience was wonderful and deepened our appreciation for all of those hard-working farmers out there. Upon arriving at the farm, we were greeted by a large table set up with a heaping bowl of pink dough deeply colored from red beets. The kids all delighted in being able to take a bit of dough and shape their own rolls for their morning snack. And now as we approach Valentine’s Day, I thought it would a festive time to make those beautiful pink sweet rolls again and bring back memories of our day at the farm.
[Read more…] about Cinnamon Beet Rolls
Continue ReadingOven-Baked Beet Chips
It seems that I am always on the hunt for ways to incorporate more vegetables into my kids lunches for school. It’s a challenge since neither of them are fond of raw vegetables (carrots being the only exception) and they only enjoy cooked vegetables when warmed. I dream of the day when I can pack mason jar salads in their lunches, but for now veggie chips are the name of the game. After years of being afraid of mandolines, I finally put on my brave face and bought one. And just like that, I’m now in love with my mandoline. I previously had visions of slicing off fingers, but I’ve realized it’s really quite safe as long as the guard is used. It makes slicing vegetables thin such a breeze and I love the consistency that comes when using the mandoline. Making these oven-baked beet chips have been one of my favorite ways to use my new tool. My heart is so happy when the beets are sliced into disks of vibrant color that then shrink and turn into crisp little chips. These are such an irresistible snack when a big bowl is left on the counter for all who walk by.
I used Karen Mordechai’s method of making root vegetable chips found in her gorgeous book Sunday Suppers. The beets first need to “sweat” after lightly salting; paper towels can be used to absorb the excess liquid. Afterwards the beets are baked for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in a 250 degree oven until crispy and crunchy. I’ve now made a few batches of these and my most recent batch was the most loved of all. I’ve learned that it’s easy to over salt the chips and really only a light sprinkling is all that’s necessary for the beets to release liquid. Also, how long in the oven depends on how thick the beet slices are. The thicker the slice, the longer it will take, and the more crunchy and cracker-like the chip will become. I sliced my latest batch quite thin and the results were light and crispy chips. I added a light seasoning of onion and garlic powder right before the beets went into the oven, but again only a pinch adds a lot of flavor. Lastly, keep the various colors of beets on separate baking sheets if you do not want the colors to bleed into each other. (I did not mind overlapping colors.) Hard to believe, but no oil at all is needed for these chips. Simple, beautiful, and delicious.
PrintOven-Baked Beet Chips
Ingredients
- 3 medium sized beets (I used 1 red, 1 golden, and 1 chioggia)
- about 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skins off the beets. Trim ends off of each side.
- Preheat oven to 250.
- Thinly slice each beet using a mandoline or carefully by hand. Spread beets in a single layer on paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt. Allow beets for rest about 30 minutes. As the beets begin to release liquid, use paper towels to absorb the liquid.
- In a small bowl, mix together the onion and garlic powder. Lightly season the beets. (I used an old seasoning jar.)
- Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper and arrange beets in a single layer.
- Bake for 1-1 1/2 hours, until chips are crispy. Rotate pans after 40 minutes for even baking. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.