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20 Jul, 2013

Beet tartare

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Meals under 400 calories|Ottawa|Recipes and Food

The first time I saw the phrase BEET TARTARE I mistakenly read it as BEEF TARTARE, which made me wonder why it was on the menu of a vegan restaurant.

You see, awhile back I was treated to an amazing meal at Café My House and beet tartare was one of the dishes we were served. It was so good that I have been determined to recreate it at home ever since.

I found a recipe online here that I adapted a bit in order to make one serving with ingredients I had on hand. Also, the beet tartare I had at Café My House was topped with vegan cheese (which was delightful) but I made do with goat cheese.

And I think my version turned out pretty good. Behold:

July 20 #dailylunches - Beet tartare

Funny thing about beets. Until now I wasn’t exactly sure how much I loved them. I liked them well enough, but this recipe sealed the deal for me and pushed me closer to the LOVE side. Maybe it’s the dressing? Or the nuts? Or the addition of the cheese? I don’t know what it is, but I’m thinking that this is a kind of GATEWAY RECIPE that’s needed to convert people from MAYBE to YES PLEASE. :)

Beet tartare for one

You will need:

1 roasted beet, peeled and diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
S & P to taste
greens of some kind
pecan or walnut pieces, toasted
goat cheese (I used a herbed goat cheese that I had on hand, but the honeyed variety would be fantastic in this recipe.

  1. 1) Put the diced beet bits in small bowl and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Scrape the beet mixture into a 1-cup measure (like the kind you’d use to measure flour or sugar) and turn it over on a plate that you’ve lined with your greens.
  2. 2) Top with goat cheese.
  3. 3) Sprinkle with nuts (mine were still warm! yum!) and more pepper, if desired.

See? Not a lot of work at all, and it made a very happy little lunch for this mama. Aside from roasting the beets (I roasted four on the BBQ the other day) it really didn’t take long to assemble. The nuts added a fabulous crunch, so don’t omit those, oh and that goat cheese… (I’m drooling as I type.)

Even with the nuts this recipe clocks in at about 240 calories, so not bad for those of us who are trying to eat a little lighter.

Let me know if you try this recipe!


10 Responses to "Beet tartare"

1 | Molly

July 20th, 2013 at 1:02 pm

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I have always LOVED beets in salad. There are currently 3 different restaurants in our ‘hood that serve up beet salads. All with goat cheese and either walnuts or pecans. Can’t go wrong. If you are hungrier than said 240 calories, add a grilled chicken breast. DELISH!

2 | Mimi

July 20th, 2013 at 5:13 pm

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The Spice candies the pecans … I LOVE this recipe.

3 | beets me

July 21st, 2013 at 1:17 pm

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Looks divine. I’m definitely going to try this one. You might want to emphasize that the beets are cooked (roasted).

4 | lisa from Iroquois

July 22nd, 2013 at 11:52 am

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This past winter we discovered that large beets could be wrapped in tinfoil and nestled in the coals of the wood stove on the days I did not need a roaring fire. The long slow roast is the key, but wow that flavour. Even turnips can be oven roasted… cut like chunky fries, drizzled with olive oil…. yummm.

5 | beets me

July 22nd, 2013 at 12:19 pm

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Hey Lisa…how long do you slow cook them in coals? Sounds like something we can do for our Thanksgiving dinner at the cottage. I can practice this summer (bonfires).

6 | Sarah

July 22nd, 2013 at 2:52 pm

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I tried the recipe and both my husband and I really enjoyed it. I made some cashew cheese to go with it. I also added a wee bit of Dijon, Worcestershire sauce (making it not so vegan) and some savoury (the good kind from Newfoundland!).

Thanks for a great, simple, healthy idea! Your recipe posts are really enjoyable.

7 | andrea tomkins

July 23rd, 2013 at 9:06 am

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Thanks everyone!

Lisa, I love the tip about roasting the beet in coals. Might take a bit longer but I bet the slow-roasted is fab.

And if it’s anything like potatoes I bet it takes at least a couple hours. (?)

8 | Stephanie

July 24th, 2013 at 9:57 am

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OMG beets and goat cheese is one of the best combos EVER. I love it so much. This is one recipe that I have made successfully for dinner parties multiple times: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beet-and-Goat-Cheese-Salad-with-Pistachios-107426

I’m going to give yours a try too :)

9 | lisa from Iroquois

July 25th, 2013 at 8:50 pm

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I don’t actually know how long it takes to cook a big beet on the coals. It depends on the size of the beet and how close and hot the coals are. I just leave it there til I can pierce it with a fork, and sometimes I remember to turn it over but that’s most often an element of checking to see if it’s cooked yet :) But the flavour lingers even if you do it early and then just warm it a little at meal time.

10 | sabrina

July 13th, 2016 at 5:00 pm

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I don’t like beets.

But I WANT to like beets.

I am working at liking beets. [One Westboro mom I know says that when she makes borscht in the winter she feels like “it goes directly into my blood!”

I plan to try this. As a commitment to my beet endeavours, I have a few growing in my backyard garden. This shall be their time to shine!

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My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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