Beet Pesto

Today I am hosting a Paint in your PJ’s Party for my girlfriends. We are going to be relaxing with some Rose, painting in our PJs! How fun does that sound! With it being so close to Valentine’s Day, I decided to through in a few V-Day inspired touches. I always try to make it special and healthy, so I decided to try and make my own Beet Pesto! Boy did it turn out delicious! This untraditional pesto was extremely easy to make with all very healthy ingredients. The beauty of the beet red was a perfect fit for my Valentine’s Day celebration!

Ingredients:

2 bunches of beets (6 beets on the medium to small size)

the juice of 3 lemons

1 cup of walnuts ( I like to soak my walnuts for at least an hour before using them)

1 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tbsp minced garlic

Now please keep in mind that I made a big batch of Beet Pesto, so that I could have left overs and send my friends home with a little. I also was experimenting as I went along, trying to find a good balance in the different flavors.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Peel the ouster layer away from the beets, and then chop them into smaller pieces.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spread out your fresh beets. Pop them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until they are slightly tender.

While the beets are cooking, juice your lemons, and pour the lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, and garlic into your blender. I first tried to use my food processor, but the nuts were not becoming as creamy as I wanted them to, so I switched to the blender. Yay, more dishes!

Once my beets were cooked, I put them into the blender a little at a time. I had to add a little more oil or lemon juice here or there to keep the beets moving along in the blender. Once I got the consistency I wanted, I poured the pesto into a bowl and set it aside while I cooked my linguine. I chose linguine because I wanted a thicker hearty pasta that would show off the color of this pesto.

Once the pasta was cooked, I immediately dressed the pasta with the beet pesto by folding in it, and tossing it with a pair of tongues. I wanted to make sure that it was evenly distributed without breaking the pasta! Finally, I topped the dish with some goat cheese and a sprig of mint leaves! How beautiful is that! The sweet beets are the star of this dish, with their amazing flavor and color! A perfect dish for Valentine’s Day! 

For dessert I made these cute little cookies with sprinkles and strawberry frosting! The perfect little take home treat for later! Happy Valentine’s Day!