HOT SPICED BEETS

• 4 cup sliced and steamed beets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon whole grain flour
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, honey or agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons apple cider or other vinegar
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves

Place beets in greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Melt butter, blend in flour and sugar. Add vinegar and boiling water, cook stirring constantly until bubbling. Add remaining ingredients. Pour over beets. Cover and bake at 350° F. for 25 minutes.

TWO-WAY SCARLET TURNIP SALAD WITH GREENS

• 6 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 T garlic, minced
• Scarlet Turnips with Greens
• 2 T capers, drained & chopped
• 3/4 cup feta cheese (about 3 oz)

Whisk together oil, vinegar & garlic in small bowl. Season generously with sea salt & pepper. Remove tops from turnips. Pull stems from leaves anbd wash leaves thoroughly. Chop leaves coarsely. Cut all turnip ropts into match sticks or 1/4 thin & quartered rounds. Transfer one-half of raw turnips to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Place on serving platter. Drizzle large skillet with olive oil and saute the other half of the turnip roots until tender. Transfer cooked turnips to medium bowl & toss with dressing to coat. Add to serving platter. In the same skillet, saute greens over high heat until wilted but still bright green ( about 4 minutes). Transfer greens to medium bowl & toss with dressing to coat. Arrange raw and sauteed turnip roots in center of platter.

RUSSIAN RED KALE PUTTANESCA

• 1/2 (16 ounce) package whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 (2 ounce) can anchovy fillets, drained and quartered
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups coarsely chopped Russian Red Kale
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and begun to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers, anchovy fillets, and diced tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Stir in kale, and simmer over medium-low heat until wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Once the pasta has cooked and been drained, stir into the puttanesca along with the black olives. Toss and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

& surround with greens. Sprinkle with feta and capers & drizzle with remaining dressing

POLENTA WITH RUSSIAN RED KALE

• Russian Red Kale, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups whole milk
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups polenta
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 ounces mushrooms (such as crimini, oyster, and stemmed shiitake), sliced
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain. Bring milk, water, polenta, salt, and pepper to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mushrooms and 2 tablespoons oil to a skillet. Sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in kale. Add garlic and broth; simmer until broth is slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme, lemon peel, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk butter and Parmesan into polenta and divide among plates. Top with kale mixture.

WARM MARINATED SWISS CHARD

Coarsely chop 3/4 pound chard leaves. Sauté chard in 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil for 2 minutes. Add 3 cloves minced garlic and stir-fry several minutes, until chard is limp. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Toss with 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar and serve.

LEMON ROASTED BEETS, CARROTS & CAPER

• scrubed beets
• carrots cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons capers (rinse if packed in salt)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Transfer to a large covered baking dish. 2. Bake for 1 hour, or until the beets and carrots are tender. Adjust the seasonings, if desired. Serve immediately.

CHIOGGGA BEET & FENNEL SALAD WITH FETA

from Bon Appétit

• large (3-inch-diameter) beets, all but 1 inch of tops trimmed
• beet greens from beets
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 oranges1 small fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, cut into paper-thin strips
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, halved
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Coarse kosher salt, celtic sea salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• green Romaine lettuce
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely crumbled feta cheese
• oranges

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place all beets in 9x9x2-inch metal pan. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Cover pan with foil and roast beets until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and cool completely. Meanwhile, saute beet greens in olive oil, salt & peper to taste, until tender. When beets cool, peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and place in large bowl; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using. Cut all peel and pith off oranges. Working over medium bowl to catch orange juice, cut between membranes, releasing segments. Add 1 cup orange segments, fennel, mint, parsley, hazelnuts, and shallot to bowl with beets. Transfer 2 teaspoons orange juice to small bowl; whisk in vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and white pepper. Stir into beet mixture. Mound beet greens on large platter, top with lettuce leaves, torn and then beet salad mixture. Drain remaining orange segments; arrange on salad. Sprinkle with feta.

BRAISED KALE WITH CRANBERRIES, GARLIC & PINE NUTS

• bunch Russian Red kale, leaves coarsely torn
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (2 ounces)
• 1 cup pine nuts, toasted in pan on stove

Cook kale in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water (1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately transfer kale to an ice bath to stop cooking. When kale is cool, drain but do not squeeze.Cook garlic in oil in same pot over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale, pine nuts, dried cranberries, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook, tossing frequently with tongs, until kale is heated through and tender, 4 to 6 minutes.