Beet and Broccoli Pesto Blooms! GF, V, SCD!

Gosh, thank you all so much for sharing in my excitement about returning to NYC! Sept 4 can’t come soon enough! :)

Beet and Broccoli Pesto Blooms!

As you can imagine, I’m in crunch mode right now, trying to get ready to return. Here’s the kicker…we’re going up to Wisconsin again for Labor Day, and then I’m turning around the next day to fly out to NYC. Whirlwind!!

so pretty:)

I’m so looking forward to seeing my friends and just getting life back to normal. I was in NYC studying acting and auditioning when my Ulcerative Colitis flare began, so I’m chomping at the bit to get back in circulation!

the mushrooms are the perfect earthy contrast!

So anywho, tonight’s dinner was marvelous. Truly delicious, and I don’t say that lightly. What is it? — My Beet and Broccoli Pesto Blooms!

gnarly shadows:)

Roasted Beet medallions topped with Broccoli Pesto and garnished with sautéed mushrooms! I thought they looked like flowers – right down to the mushroom  ”stamen.”

Gluten Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet Friendly!

And they’re Gluten Free, Vegan, and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1-2)

2 beets, scrubbed and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (garnish)
1 green onion, sliced (garnish)

Broccoli Pesto:
1 stalk of broccoli  - broken into florets, and stem sliced – (~2 cups)
1 cup fresh basil
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp EVOO
salt

Preheat oven to 425. Scrub and dry beets. Slice them into 1/2 inch rounds. Place them on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Then, spritz the beets with olive-oil spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Meanwhile, saute your mushrooms for about 2 minutes, until they shrink a bit, and become tender. Also, steam your broccoli for about 5-6 minutes until bright green and tender. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Let it drain and dry, and then combine in the food processor with all the other pesto ingredients. Process until smooth and creamy (you’ll need to stop and scrape the sides about 4 times).

yum!

To assemble, place about 1-2 Tbsp of the pesto on top of each beet medallion. Garnish with a few mushroom slices and some green onions. To get the “swirled” effect, put the pesto in a ziplock sandwich bag, squeeze the pesto to one corner, snip the corner, and you now have a makeshift pastry bag!

luscious broccoli pesto!

This meal was faaaabulous! I’m not going to lie, I ate them all. :) My parents had one each, but I ate the rest. They were just so good!! The broccoli pesto was so rich and creamy, while the beets were chewy and wonderfully roasted. They were the perfect vessel for the luxurious pesto!

what a plate!

And the flavors just exploded! The beets were wonderfully sweet and warm, which paired perfectly with the fresh, and bright pesto! Combination Domination:) And there was a subtle hint of garlic and lemon which really set it off. A magnificent little morsel!

amazing roasted beet medallions!

Finally, it was a delightful dish for the eyes! It looked so whimsical with the deep purple beets and the bright green pesto swirl! You just want to pick one up and see if they taste as cute as they look! Spoiler alert — they DO! :)

What are you looking forward to this fall?

See ya tomorrow!

Need a food processor or an olive oil mister? Here are the ones I use and Love: