It’s the first winter that I get the majority of my vegetables from a CSA, and it forces me to align my cooking with the seasons. I won’t lie to you: It’s been challenging. Every week, I get a new supply of root vegetables – more than I know what to do with. But I’m glad to take on the challenge as it feels right to support local organic agriculture on my journey towards a greener lifestyle. Needless to say, I’ve been experimenting quite a bit.
The beautiful chioggia beets in this recipe came in with last week’s vegetable box. Just as sweet as regular beets, they have stunning stripes when sliced crosswise and their juice doesn’t stain.
This roasted beet & sorghum salad with ginger-lime vinaigrette is as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the taste buds. Enjoy and have a great week.
P.S. Never heard of sorghum? Read this.
Roasted Beet & Sorghum Salad with Ginger-Lime Vinaigrette
Salad:
- 1.5 cups sorghum
- 4.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 pounds beets
- 2-3 kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1 tsp sumac
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger, packed
- 2 tbsp flaxseed oil
- 1 tbsp agave nectar, or honey
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
For the sorghum: In a medium-sized pot, add the dry sorghum and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for one hour.
Taste the sorghum after one hour. If the broth has been absorbed but the grain is still too hard, add 1/2 cup water and continue cooking until the grains are tender. If the grains are tender, remove from heat, drain any excess water and set aside.
For the beets: Preheat oven to 400 F. Loosely wrap the beets in foil. Roast in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Roasting time varies a lot depending on the size of the beets, so check after 30 minutes if your beets are small.
When cool enough to handle, peel the beet skin off. Dice the beets and set aside.
For the vinaigrette: In a mason jar, measure the lime juice, ginger, flaxseed oil, agave nectar, mustard, and white wine vinegar. Seal the jar and shake until the vinaigrette has emulsified.
In a large bowl, add the cooked sorghum, diced beets, red onions and chopped kale.
Add the currants and sumac. Pour the ginger-lime vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine.
Serves 6 as a side dish.