Check Out My Sweet Beets

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday I did my blog on how to cook beets, which I was quite happy with. But, today I am sure you are wondering what items you can pair beets with to make a full lunch or dinner (or breakfast.. why not?). I know I gave you some ideas at the end of my last blog, but I would like to indulge you with a recipe that I made last night that includes a sauce that you can use with almost anything. This sauce is a staple in my diet, and maybe it will be in yours too! 

Read on to find out kiddos…….

1 package Rising Moon Butternut Squash Ravioli
1 cup roasted beets, sliced or cubed
5 green onions
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 to 2 cups beet greens (I used greens from three beets… however much that makes)
Some salt and olive oil to use in the boiling in the water for the ravioli.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic
1/2 tablespoon agave

Start by preparing and roasting the beets  - click here for directions on roasting beets. While the beets are roasting, prepare the green onions: cut the white parts into long strips and then cut in half lengthwise. Continue to cut the green parts into smaller slices. Chop up the beet greens and get them ready to sauté. Click here for more detailed instructions on how to prepare the beet greens.

Heat the water for the ravioli and add the salt and olive oil. Bring to a boil and pour in the ravioli. Cook according to directions on the package. Drain the ravioli.

Heat a skillet with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Once it's heated, put in the smashed garlic. Cook until the garlic starts to get slightly brown. Add the green onions and cook for about 2 minutes. add the beet greens. and cook for about a minute. Add the roasted beets, the ravioli, the agave and balsamic and stir together so that everything is coated and warm.

Put on a plate and you're done!

Yay for colorful food!

How To Make The Garlicky-Agave-Balsamic Sauce Separate:
Mix together the balsamic, garlic, olive oil, and agave in a blender. Now you can use this to pour over already made dishes, salads, or anything that you want to eat with this sauce!

I borrowed this sauce out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Cookbook, which is one of the handiest cookbooks I own. It's a cookbook about how to cook every type of vegetable, noodle, grain, bean, spice, and anything else you can think of (besides meat of course) with many variations to each dish. I recommend that you pick it up!


I was so happy that I was able to use the Butternut Squash Ravioli. It had been in my freezer for months. Every time I cook it up it always tastes so delicious and I have no idea why it took me so long to make it! The whole mixture topped with the sauce made it taste like candy, but in a healthy way.

I always put on music when I cook, so this time I decided to listen to Mates of State. I listened to their last album Re-Arrange us over and over and loved it, but I probably overplayed it. This time I decided to listen to the prior album, Bring it Back. I listened to it a bit when it entered my music collection, but I hadn't really listened to it enough to form an opinion. Now I can't decide if I like Bring It Back more than Re-Arrange Us or the same. I guess that's a good thing, but I still need to pick up their newest album and their first three! If you haven't heard of them, they are an indie rock band made up of two members that are husband and wife. I would describe their music as indie pop, and I would say it is very catchy, but it's not too cute or poppy. When they sing together they harmonize beautifully, and you won't be able to help yourself from singing with them. They also use variety of instruments to bring you through each song to the end of the album. The colorful music was a perfect fit with the dinner.

I hope you enjoy!

Do you have a favorite beet recipe? Make a comment or Email Me, I'd love to hear from you!

Namaste,
Monica

Butternut Squash Ravioli in a Sage and Brown Butter Sauce

Makes 2 servings

So, this weekend I went to the UCF/USF game, which was a pretty intense. I made potato latkes (pancakes) for the tailgate, which were a big hit. If you're wondering what potato latkes are, they are actually a traditional Jewish dish that is served on Chanukkah, but I thought they would make a good tailgate dish. If you're not Jewish, it's pronounced L-aht-kas. Everyone loved them , and although I thought they were decent, I wasn't fully satisfied with them, so I decided not to blog about them this time. This was my first time making them, and I thought about some changes I wanted to make for the next time, so I am going to make them again later this week , and hopefully they will be blog worthy!

So, after I got over the loss of the UCF/USF game, I was wondering what I wanted to make for dinner tonight. I looked through my fridge and freezer and saw that I had butternut squash ravioli that I bought awhile back from Whole Foods. I use the brand Rising Moon, which makes an organic and vegan ravioli. I have really never had butternut squash before, so I spent a long time thinking about what other vegetable would go well with it, and since it's kind of sweet, I decided on red bell pepper. It's super easy and only takes about a half hour to make. I was really happy with how this recipe turned out, and hopefully you will be too.

Ingredients For the Ravioli:
1 8oz package Butternut Squash Ravioli (preferably Rising Moon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salt

Ingredients for the Bell Pepper:
1 red bell pepper
Olive Oil (about 3 tablespoons)

Ingredients for the Sauce:
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread (or margarine)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 sage leaves
2 cloves garlic

Preparing the Red Bell Pepper:
-Preheat the oven to 400
-Take the red bell pepper and cut off the ends
-Coat with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil
-Set aside until the oven preheats.
-Place the red bell pepper in the oven when it is preheated and roast for about 22 minutes or until you notice it starts to just slightly brown or bubble in spots.
-Take the bell pepper out of the oven and slice
-set aside
Preparation for the Ravioli:
-During the time that bell pepper is roasting, bring a pot of water, oil, and salt to a boil.
-Once it's boiling, gently pour in the ravioli and cook between 4-8 minutes. You'll know when the ravioli is finished because it will float to the top.
-Drain and set aside
Preparation for the sauce:
-Peel the garlic and chop
-In a small saucepan, melt the butter.
-It should cook on low to medium heat for about 3 minutes until the butter begins to brown.
-Add the garlic and sage leaves in the butter and cook until the leaves become crisp and fragrant. This takes about 30 seconds.
-Remove from heat fully stir in nutmeg.

Place the ravioli and red pepper on a plate. Pour the sauce over the the ravioli and red pepper, and serve immediately.

Delights and Afterthoughts:
I have never cooked with butternut squash, so I was a little iffy about this dish, but I am more than happy with the outcome. I did actually cook it twice. My first thought was to cook it with the Red Bell Pepper, but then for some reason I decided to use edamame. I don't really know what changed my mind, but it just stuck. I had such high hopes, but it just wasn't that good so it didn't make the cut.

I really wanted an awesome recipe to blog about, so I went back to the bell pepper, and once I prepared that and tried it, it was way more than awesome. The bell pepper was a great addition since it is also slightly sweet. I guess the moral is to go with your gut instinct and don't second guess yourself. I actually believe that with all things in life, but that's another blog!

This would also make a great appetizer at a party. Just cook the ravioli and place the sauce in a bowl as a dip.

It's really simple to make, so let me know if you try it out and what you think.