Ginger Orange Beets

Add some color and flavor to your holiday table this weekend with these ginger orange beets. Peel and cut your beets into quarter inch slices then steam, roast, or boil until tender. While fresh beets are always better, if you’re short on time you could substitute cooked frozen beets.

For a pound of beets, whisk together a teaspoon of minced ginger, the juice of an orange, a splash of cider vinegar, a drizzle of honey, a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the beets with the vinaigrette and garnish with some orange zest. They can be served warm, or at room temperature.

Kale, Butternut Squash, Wheat Berry Salad

Happy Spring!  This salad, with its amazing combination of flavors and textures, works just as well as a main course as it does a side dish. Preheat the oven to 400, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then cut a peeled and seeded butternut squash into half inch cubes and toss with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Stir a half a cup of wheat berries into the water and simmer until tender, about forty five minutes, then drain well. Lay the squash cubes out on cookie sheets with parchment paper and roast for approximately thirty minutes…you want them firm, not mushy. For the vinaigrette combine a half cup of olive oil, a quarter cup of red wine or cider vinegar, a minced shallot, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. 

While the wheat berries and squash cool, toss your stemmed and chopped kale in a large bowl with a little bit of the dressing to soften the leaves. When you’re ready to serve, add the other ingredients to the bowl, mix with more dressing, then salt and pepper to taste.

Chipotle Pepper Braised Short Ribs

If you’ve yet to discover the little blue and red can of Mexican made San Marcos chili peppers in adobo sauce at your local market, these short ribs offer the perfect opportunity to try them out. The flavor and heat will blow you away. Preheat your oven to 350, then place your largest, heaviest, pot with a lid, on the stove over medium high heat. Generously salt and pepper eight or so beef short ribs then brown them on all sides.

Set the short ribs aside and add a large chopped red onion to the pot, pour in a little oil if there’s not enough fat left from the ribs. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the onion for five minutes. Stir in six chopped garlic cloves and two chopped adobo peppers along with a spoonful of the sauce. Saute for another few minutes then add two cups of beef stock, preferably Better Than Bouillon. Return the ribs to the pot, cover, and place the pot in the hot oven.

It’s best to turn the ribs every forty five minutes or so, and check to make sure that the stock level is at least half way up the ribs. If not, just add more beef stock. After an hour and a half, add a can of drained black beans, a box of frozen corn, and a large handful of chopped cilantro. After three hours the meat should be falling off of the bone, although four hours will guarantee it. Salt to taste and serve with rice, or polenta, so you can get every drop.