Food Matters Project #21: Beet Chips with Pistachio Dip

It’s another Food Matters Project post!  This weeks recipe was chosen by Meg, of My Wholefood Romance.  She chose Mark Bittman’s Beet “Sandwiches” from his Food Matters Cookbook.

I was a bit hesitant to make this recipe.  Beets are not my favorite food, which may sound weird since I’m Polish- and beets are pretty popular.  But a couple of Thursday ago I was walking around the Penn Quarter Farmer’s Market and I saw the beets and the greens, and they looked so pretty so I had to bring some home.  Since I had no other plans for these veggies, I decided to try out Mark Bittman’s recipe!  I was very surprised how well it tasted, and this would be a perfect healthy snack to keep around.

Beet Chips and Pistachio Dip
Adapted from: The Food Matters Cookbook (page 83)

Rather than sandwiches, as Bittman refers to them, I used mine as chips.  Part of it was that the beets I had bought were fairly small.  Remember to wear plastic gloves when dealing with beets, since they will stain your hands a bit!

10 small beets
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp + 1 pinch of salt
3 oz goat cheese
1 cup shelled pistachios
pinch of pepper
2 cups arugula

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Peel and slice the beets about 1/4 inch thick.  Put them all into a bowl, add some 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp salt.  Shake the bowl (or use your hands, but they might get a little beet color on them!) to coat all of the pieces with the olive oil and salt.  Spread all of the beets onto a cookie sheet, and bake them for 20-25 minutes.  Once they are baked, allow them to cool before eating.

Meanwhile, add the goat cheese, pistachios, 2 tbsp olive oil, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper and arugula into a food processor  Blend until the mixture is smooth.  Refrigerate until you are ready to eat it with the beet chips.