22 August 2012

Meat and Beets

Doesn't have the same ring as meat and potatoes, does it? Well, this summer we've been experimenting with all the loot from the garden. I'm making things that NEVER would have occurred to me to make before - simply because we have an abundance of produce. Tonight, everything but the chicken came from our backyard.

Please pardon the display of food - I was hungry and ready to eat!
Chicken and onions from the crock pot, roasted beets and kale chips.

Although the heat isn't as oppressive in Denver any more, I put the chicken in the crock pot anyway - mostly because it's so darn easy to make chicken this way. I picked a few onions from the garden and followed this recipe.

I roasted beets for the first time. It was a snap - other than having to be here to do it since they take over two hours in the oven. I started them before I took off for a play date with Benny and a friend. I turned off the oven and left them in there. Then I finished them when we got home.

Roasted Beets with Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

Ingredients

About 2 pounds of beets, washed thoroughly
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
S&P

Method

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the washed beets on the foil and cover. Cook at 400 degrees for an hour. After an hour, check the beets by poking them with a fork. When they are soft, let them cool for a few minutes and peel off the skin. Cut into small chunks.

Heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the beets.

Kale Chips

Ingredients

Handful of kale, chopped into potato chip size pieces
Olive oil
S&P

Method

Drizzle olive oil over the kale - but not too much. Lay kale out on a baking sheet and season to taste. Bake at 250 degrees for 25 minutes. For crispy kale, be sure to spread the kale out - otherwise it will be soggy.

Nate planted not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR kale plants this year. We've had kale chips a handful of times and we aren't making a dent. I need some new ideas for kale!

Fresh from the garden: beets, onion and kale.

3 comments:

Ann Wyse said...

Oh boy, I love beets! I'll definitely have to try these - especially based on the ease of cooking them.

I have a cook book by Jack Bishop - Vegetables Everyday - and I love it. It goes by vegetable by vegetable and then lists several different ways to prepare each vegetable. Let me know if you are interested and I can copy-email you the 'Kale' section. Otherwise, all I've got for kale ideas are chips, too. ;-)

Debbie said...

I love steamed kale on bbq sandwiches (like pulled pork, chicken - always made in the crockpot too). The texture is a nice addition to the otherwise mushy sandwich.

life's a bear said...

Ann, I'll check out the cookbook. Sounds like I'll need it this harvest season! Thanks for the recommendation.

Debbie, never thought of those combos. Great ideas! Suddenly I have a hankering for pulled pork...

I also used some kale in addition to basil for pesto tonight. Not much, but it didn't impact the flavor. I'm also thinking of making a kale pesto to use when our butternut squash is ready. I have a feeling it would be good with pasta. Will let you know!