Cherubs and chocolate treats are cute and all, but identifying and seizing opportunities to love yourself are about a thousand times more crucial in the greater scope. I used to think that even a mere reflection on self-love was a waste of time because I could be doing work and accomplishing real, tangible things that I would probably love more. My line of thought on this has veered to the other side. If you want to go after the things you want, it seems you also have to be mindful enough to give yourself the strength to take it all on first. There are plenty of opportunities to build yourself up and now, I find these moments in all manners of ways.
Food and nourishment are obvious pathways! It’s nice (and deeply privileged) to look into your fridge after a grocery day, see the different colours and textures, and then remember that it’s all for you and the wellbeing of those you keep close. It’s equally nice to look into your fridge, see nothing but various hot sauces and lightly wrinkled scraps of vegetables, turn to your pantry and somehow make a meal out of it. In the realm of cooking at home, that’s when I’m most proud.
And then there’s these beets with pistachio butter. I bought the bunch at my fave local grocery shop and the cashier asked me if you could eat the tops/greens. I was so pumped that she even asked me that! Those greens flopped out the top of my canvas bag and just the sight of that was enough to make my day. I knew I wanted to pair them with citrus and pistachios. Some winter brightness vibes with deep roots.
A couple years ago, Mark and I had dinner at a cozy restaurant in New York. We started with this big plate that had a little bit of each vegetable-based antipasti they were serving. There was one simple heap of roasted and diced beets with a bit of balsamic vinegar and a dollop of pistachio butter on top. So simple and good. I had been meaning to do a little remix of that tasty bite for a while, and here we are.
I roasted my beets with grapefruit juice and sherry to brighten them up. I lightly sauté the beet greens, finishing them with even more grapefruit juice before chopping them up and adding them to a hearty base of white beans. Then there’s that pretty green blanket of pistachio butter and a sprinkle of crushed pink peppercorns to finish–they offer a gentle heat that I always enjoy with citrus and sweeter vegetables.
Grapefruit Roasted Beets with Greens, White Beans & Pistachio Butter
Ingredients
Beets
- 3-4 beets with greens, peeled and greens separated
- 1 tablespoon sherry or balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Pistachio Butter
- 1 cup shelled pistachios plus extra for garnish
- olive oil
- sea salt
Beans & Assembly
- 2 cups cooked white beans
- olive oil
- the beet greens
- 2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, ground up/crushed
- flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Equipment
Notes
- The pink peppercorns aren’t totally necessary–just nice sometimes! You can finish this with some fresh black pepper and a pinch of flaky salt instead.
- Also, some kind of briny, pickled component wouldn’t be out of place on top of this–like some capers or pickled red onions if you’ve got them around.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the beets into 1 inch wedges and place them in a glass baking dish. Add the sherry vinegar, grapefruit juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the beets evenly. Cover the dish with foil and roast for 30 minutes or until the beets give when pierced with a small knife. Uncover the beets, toss them around and roast them for 5-10 more minutes, just to evaporate some of the juices.
- While the beets are roasting, make the pistachio butter. Place the shelled pistachios in a food processor or high speed blender. Gradually pulse or blend until you have a smooth paste, scraping down the sides here and there with a spatula. I had to add some olive oil at one point to get the motor of my blender moving a bit. Once you have a smooth paste, scrape the butter into a small bowl. Stir in a pinch of salt and a little extra olive oil to get it to a slightly runny consistency. Set aside.
- Heat some oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the beet greens and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Add the grapefruit juice. Keep tossing them until all of the greens are lightly wilted. Remove from the pan and chop them up. Toss the chopped greens with the white beans, some olive oil, and lots of salt, and pepper.
- Lay the beans and greens on the base of your serving plate. Arrange the roasted beet wedges on top and finish the plate with some spoonfuls of pistachio butter. Garnish with the pink peppercorns, flaky salt, and extra chopped pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Just curious as to how well this keeps in the fridge? Would it last for a few days to eat off of for lunch? Dying to try it. Thanks!
-britt
I would probably leave out the greens if I was storing this in the fridge. You could hold it over for 5 days if you drizzled the pistachio butter over as you ate it!
-L
this is one of my favorite recipes, I didn’t like roasted beets until now! And the pistachio butter is so creamy and good, my first time having that! all these flavors go so well together, I will definitely be making this again! thanks :)
Laura,
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe. So delicious! I didn’t like beets until a few months ago and this might be my new favorite way to have them. And the pistachio butter is fantastic.
Pistachio Butter! SWOON
Amen to all of this. First of all, I’m glad there’s someone else out there who is totally in love with True Detective. I don’t know many people who are watching it… which is a shame because it is incredible. That last episode. Wow.
Now, I’m totally in love with this recipe… I’m obsessed with both grapefruit and beets and will often pair the two, but never had I thought to roast the beets in the juice. Just brilliant.
This dish looks really yummy and the photography is gorgeous! I wish I could eat this food right off the page. I got to try this sometime.
I made this last night and it was delicious! But I may have had the juiciest grapefruit ever, because my beets were swimming in it, rather than ‘coated’.
How it has never occurred to me to combine beet with grapefruit I don’t know but, man Laura, I can’t WAIT to try it. So much goodness. And love too.
This looks divine, and just the kind of food I’m feeling at the moment. The hubs will love it too with all those glorious beets– I’m going to make up the recipe and take it down to the beach for our Valentine’s Day picnic on Friday. Thanks! And happy day of love to yourself and your Mr.
Made this tonight, and now I never want to eat beets any other way. The variety of textures and flavours (like the pop of pink peppercorns!) was awesome. Plus I have lots of leftover pistachio butter! Life is good. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
Lovely! Trying this week for my meal prep ! So hearty for winter and easy to make
WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I love the look of these!!!!! I love the grapefruit – beetroot combination!!! :)
This looks gorgeous and delicious as always! I meant to write and say that I mentioned you in an interview for Get the Gloss here’s the link.
http://www.getthegloss.com/article/blogger-of-the-week-coconut-and-quinoa
This week one of my veggie dinners was boiled “farmer” beans with boiled beets and cabbage sautée in olive oil and garlic. Simple but delicious. I can’t wait to try this recipe with the pistachio butter (I love pistachios)
made this for dinner tonight and everybody loved it! so simple but delicious and satisfying AND good for you. I didn’t have any pistachios (much to my disgust) so thinned out a bit of tahini with juices from the braised greens and it was yummy.
delicious food is definitely the way to go on the self-love train. sending more warm and fuzzy’s your way :* xx
Love the freshness of this salad with the grapefruit!
Bam! No more necessary qualifications needed. I’m 100% sold and in l.o.v.e. Pinned and dreaming of this.
Your writing is so lovely. I’ve been working like crazy recently and those words are like a balm to me- so often it’s been just a check list of things to get done and powering through the moments that could give me a little more sanity. I need to remember to pause more often.
And this looks beautiful. I’m a beet disliker who is trying very hard to like beets, and I love everything else in this recipe. I might have to give this a spin.
If eating a giant plate of this = self-love than I love myself a whole lot :D
Simply gorgeous. I am a beetroot fanatic and with all those other goodies too this dish has got to be wonderful.
This salad needs to get on my plate ASAP! That pistachio butter is calling my name. Hooray!
What a beautiful and fresh looking salad! All of my favorite things in one dish. Can’t wait to try it!
I was just thinking about beeting myself up! Another unbelievable coinsedencd – pistachio butter was on diy wish list. Then you post this and everything comes together.
It looks too good to be true. On my way to get these goodies!
Wow. What an inspiring and stunning recipe. I think pistachio butter may quickly become my new weakness. Gorgeous photos and marvelous writing, as always.
Beets and Self Love are both awesome! these photos are just amazing… this is a must try recipe for me and my new health kick. thanks! x
“If you work in creative endeavours, some decidedly aware moments of pause seem to offer a whole lotta grace later on.” YES YES YES
THIS — “If you work in creative endeavours, some decidedly aware moments of pause seem to offer a whole lotta grace later on.”
SO true. Sometimes I feel so crazy busy and all over the place and without a moment to breathe. But then I take a break or meet up with a friend for coffee and it’s like a new world. Fab post, lady. Self love, FTW. <3 <3 <3
you had me at pistachio butter. Oh my!
I’ve never seen pistachio butter anywhere else. What an idea! I bet it’d be great swirled into ice cream, too.
That looks insanely delicious.
Never thought to add grapefruit to my beetroot. Sounds so good. I’ve got some blood oranges lying about, do you think I could use them instead?
I think any citrus would be delicious, Teffy :)
These photos are just incredible. Plus pistachio butter? Favourite thing ever.
I’m sorry but I can’t stop staring at your photos.
I’m all for self-love. I’ve not been very good at it recently so probably need to take a leave out of your book. This = ace.
This looks stupidly delicious and beautiful. Your topic today is also so heartwarming – I’m totally with you on loving yourself first so you can accomplish things – a nice reminder, especially this time of year when there’s such a focus on expressing external love (which isn’t so bad either!). I always love how genuine your posts feel – it’s always easy to connect with your words and recipes xxx