Bright Beets with Toasted Gomasio

This dish is a love letter to sesame seeds. It is a beautiful shade of pink because the beets dye the dressing. It is topped with a salty, seedy crunch and any herbs/greens you desire. I like to eat it with cilantro, micro-greens or on a bed of arugula. Gomasio is a crunchy, toasted Japanese seasoning blend that translates to ‘sesame salt’. This dish eats like an ice cream sundae except it’s beets, covered in tahini, and topped with seeds. I promise you will love it.
Back to the Kitchen
Bright Beets with Toasted Gomasio
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lbs. beets (3 large, or 5 small-to-medium)
  • 1/2 cup Sunny Original Tahini Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. honey (or another sweetener if vegan)
  • Chili flakes
  • Fresh herb/green of your choice

Gomasio

  • 3 Tbsp. raw unsalted pepitas
  • 3 Tbsp. raw unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1 sheet nori seaweed, broken or cut into tiny pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
  • Sea salt to taste
Steps

Heat your oven to 350° F.

Cut off the spindly, leggy roots and the tops of the beets. Scrub to remove dirt.

Make a square of foil for each beet to sleep in while roasting. Place the beets in foil and ball it up so that they are somewhat sealed. If the beets are on the smaller side, 2 of them can be wrapped in foil together.

Bake until the beets are tender. Check by piercing a fork through the foil, it should go through easily. This usually takes 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.

While the beets are cooking, prepare your dressing. Mix Sunny with lemon juice, honey and chili flakes.

To prepare your gomasio, heat a medium frying pan on low heat and add the pepitas, sunflower seeds, nori, and salt. Stirring often, let the seeds toast for about 3-5 minutes.

Once cool, pulse half of the mixture in a blender/coffee grinder/food processor and mix it back in with the whole seeds.

Once the beets are done, remove them from the oven and let cool. If you don’t mind pink hands, peel the beets with your fingers or use a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets into small squares and place in a bowl.

Toss the beets in the dressing and delight in the color it turns! Top your pink dish with your crunchy, toasted gomasio and your herbs/greens. Eat, share, enjoy!

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