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Roasted Beets with Feta

4 beets, trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet.
2.Bake beets in preheated oven until easily pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once done, remove from oven, and allow to cool until you can handle them. Peel beets, and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
3.While the beets are roasting, whisk together shallot, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl until blended; season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
4.To assemble the dish, place the warm, sliced beets onto a serving dish, pour vinaigrette over the beets, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.


Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Soup with Lentils
courtesy of Katie Jett Walls (current customer)

6-8 cups of water, salted with 2 tsp of kosher salt
2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 small white potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 head of cauliflower, diced
1/2 of a small golden delicious apple, peeled and diced
1/2 c. red lentils (or mix of red lentils/split green peas)
2 c. veggie stock, plus 1 c of veggie stock (best when you make it yourself!)
3-4 strips of high quality bacon
Small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp of salted butter
1/4 tsp each ginger, turmeric, cayenne, paprika
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper fresh ground pepper
cilantro

Salt the water, and put on high heat in a 4 qt. soup pot.
Scrub and dice the sweet potatoes and add them to the water. As they begin to boil scrub and dice the white potatoes, and add them to the pot.
While the potatoes boil, in a separate (smaller) pot, bring the lentils to boil in 2 cups of veggie stock. You’ll let these boil till they are soft but still a bit firm. Add a little more stock if necessary as they boil. Check them after 15 minutes for doneness.
Once the lentils are on, dice 1 head of cauliflower and add the pieces to the potatoes in the soup pot. Add add the apple as well. It’s ok if the veggies overtop the water surface. Cover and let boil till all veggies are soft, about 15 minutes.
Now fry 3-4 strips of high quality bacon to cripsy doneness over medium heat. While it cooks, dice the onion and garlic. When the bacon is cooked, take it out to drain on paper towel, but drop one piece into the lentils. Add the onion to bacon grease and saute, add garlic near the end to lightly saute.
Add the butter to the onion mixture, then add the spices, and 1/2 c of veggie stock. Stir to let the broth absorb the spices.
When lentils are done, add them to this spice mixture and stir.
Check your veggies with a fork – they should be soft now. Remove veggies from boil and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a whisk or pastry cutter to coarsely puree the veggies. Work gently so you don’t splash hot pulp onto your hands. You want the vegetable pieces broken up so they still have some shape but all pieces are small. The sweet potatoes will disintegrate the most. If you want a complete puree, use an immersion blender to thoroughly puree veggies (or run through the food processor in 2-3 batches). Stop when you’re pleased with the texture. Soup may still be watery – don’t worry, you will simmer it down a little more before serving.
Dice the bacon and add it to the soup pan with the veggies, along with another 1-2 tsp salt. Add the lentil spice mixture to the veggies and stir in in well, allow soup to simmer uncovered to your preferred consistency, or until the enticing aroma finally wins out and you have to eat it NOW.
Serve topped with freshly chopped cilantro.