Healthy Roasted Golden Beet & Sausage Bowl (GF)

Does anyone else feel that Christmas is very un-christmassy this year because it falls on the weekend? For holiday purposes, it just doesn’t feel as special falling on a Sunday. It also has really messed up my weekend before Holiday shopping, as I usually reserve the Saturday & Sunday before Christmas to get this done. And obviously shopping this past weekend would have been far too easy/normal so now I only have one day to do  it this year. And more like one half day, because the malls closes early. And me and my fellow late af shoppers will literally turn into rabid animals trying to scrounge what is left of all the reject presents that nobody else wanted.

Good thing my family did a Secret Santa this year. I only have to buy one terrible present, vs five. I apologize in advance to my unlucky victim. Your gift is going to probably be more than unfortunate. Good thing a card full of “IOU’s” never gets old.

But I can assure you I won’t be getting you any of these:

http://flick-candles.myshopify.com/products/grandma-s-last-christmas-tree

Actually, if I can find “Grandmas Last Christmas Tree” candle scent, you’ll 100 percent be getting that. In Fact, I’ll get all five of you this just for good measure.

Okay….. this is quite incredible. Incredibly ugly, definite fashion faux-pas, but then quite incredibly awesome at the same time.

But this, this is just terrible. And apparently sold out. </a>

Or I could just print you out a booklet of the “Sugar Free Gummy Bears” reviews and let you poop your pants in laughter. And an idea was born. Sold!

ANYwho. This dish.

Perhaps I’m pulling the trigger a little on the earlier side here, healthy? before January 2 (because we all know new years day goals don’t start until the hangover dissipates) But yeah. That’s right. I am a little early. But there is no better time than the present, especially when the dress you had reserved for the upcoming holidayz doesn’t zip.

Healthy Roasted Golden Beet & Sausage Bowl, delightfully un-tacky yet totally refined.

Recipe Notes:

You can use regular beets, but the golden was calling my name due to its vibrant color. It also is known for tasting less “earthy” than the regular red contenders.

Wash, scrub, wash some more, and then peel. IF you’re like me, than you understand that if beets aren’t given a little TLC before cooking they will taste literally like poop. Or dirt. Poopy dirt to be exact. BUT if washed/scrubbed/peeled, they will taste less like the ground and pleasantly “Earthy” without being too literal.

Make sure you soak your beet leaves for a good 10 minutes in cold water before washing. This will help get all of the sandy grit that they are so commonly known for having. AND IF you bought your beets sans stems, add whatever green you want instead!

I chose to use andouille chicken sausage for this dish, because I wanted the smoky flavor that you get from andouille sausage. You don’t need to use chicken, but I wanted to lighten up the fat content.

I threw a handful of peptitas on top of my bowl, as they are an incredibly healthy addition and I literally have a pantry full of them. New Years Goal # 10000000, use items in pantry.

Healthy Roasted Golden Beet & Sausage Bowl (GF)

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Ingredients

• 2 bunches of beets (about 6), washed, peeled, stems removed (and saved). Sliced into ¼" thick pieces, and then halved.
• 4 cups of greens (reserved beet stems, soaked and stems removed, spinach, kale, etc)
• 2 head cauliflower, core removed, and then florets pulsed into small rice-like pieces (8 cups cauli rice)
• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into ¼" thick medallions
• ½ cup pepitas
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 tbsp oil (olive, coconut, whatever you prefer)
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp chipotle chili powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Next lay your beet slices onto baking sheet. Toss with 2 tbsp oil, cumin, paprika and brown sugar. Spread out onto pan and place in oven for 20-25 minutes, tossing half way through cooking, until they start to brown. Remove and set aside until ready.
2. Next in a large pan, add one tbsp oil. Take your washed beet leaves and add to pan. Cover and let steam for about 7 minutes, stirring halfway through, until wilted. Salt & Pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
3. Next in a small pan, over medium heat, add your sausage medallions and brown the outside until heated through and the edges begin to crisp up. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a large pan, over medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil and ¼ cup water. Add your cauliflower rice, cover, and let cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do this until desired texture is reached. Add ½ tsp chipotle chili powder, and continue to cook for an additional minute. Salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Assembly:

1. Divide cauliflower rice into 1-2 cup proportions per bowl. Top with beets, greens & sausage. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.

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