Sweets and Beets Bowl with Balsamic Dressing

A great way to warm up your winter, and add some color to your life.

This is a wonderfully warm and bright bowl, filled with yummy root vegetables. It's great for the winter when these are in season. The end result is so bright and colorful, it'll help put some color in your dark winter days.

Not only are beets beautiful when they're sliced open, but they also have anti-inflammatory benefits. They also come in a few different colors, all tasting slightly different. Some that you might come across are:

• Chioggia: aka Candy Cane beets.They're red on the outside and red and white striped on the inside. These are heirloom beets with a distinct sweetness.

• Golden: yellow-orange and have a more neutral taste. They don't bleed when cooked.

• White: mild taste and they look like turnips from the outside.

Baking the sweet potatoes in the oven, results in a carmelly and syrupy bite - that dare I say - almost tastes like candy.

Speaking of - I thought about caramelizing the pecans, to add a sweeter and crunchier texture and taste. However, I find that the sweet potatoes on their own are quite sweet; and candied pecans would be too much.

I like to make this for my meal prep, as this will keep in the fridge for about 4 days when covered properly.

SWEETS AND BEETS BOWL WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BOWL

1. 1 lb beets (cut into small 1/2 inch cubes)

2. 1 lb sweet potato (cut into small 1/2 inch cubes)

3. 1 head red cabbage, sliced into thin strips (about 1/4 inch)

4. 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5. 1 tsp sea salt

6. Black pepper to taste

7. 1 350g block of tofu*, cut into small 1/2 inch cubes

8. 1/4 cup chopped pecans or nut of choice

FOR THE DRESSING

1. 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or roasted hazelnut oil

3. 1 clove garlic, minced

4. 1 tsp honey

5. 1/2 tsp sea salt

6. Black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the salad, preheat the oven to 375°F

2. On a large baking sheet toss the beets, sweet potatoes and cabbage with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45-55 minutes or until tender.

3. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. Alternatively, place all into a jar with a lid and shake to combine.

4. To assemble, split the vegetable mixture between 4 plates or bowls. Top with the tofu, pecans and dressing.

5. Serve and enjoy!

NOTES

*Smoked tofu also works really well

This will keep in the fridge for about 4 days when covered properly.

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