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Sweet Potatoes and Beets with Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce

Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Jackelin

Ingredients

For the Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce

  • one cup plain raw cashews, pre-soaked for a minimum of one hour (see instructions below)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 large lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

For the Vegetables

  • 3 large beets and their greens
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 4 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • salt to taste
  • 1 large avocado
  • Handful of toasted cashews for garnish optional

Instructions

Vegetables

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Begin by removing the greens from the beets by cutting them off at the base. Trim and discard the tough stems. Chop the greens and set aside.
  • Meanwhile peel the beets and the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite size cubes. Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl and toss with 3 tbsp of the oil. Spread the sweet potatoes on one side of a baking sheet. Do the same with the beets and spread them on the baking sheet next to the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the ground cumin over the beets and sweet potatoes and salt to taste/preference.
  • Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and cook for about 45 minutes or until the beets are tenter when poked with a fork (the sweet potatoes will cook a little faster, but it's okay if they get a little soft - they will be sweeter and more flavorful too.)
  • About 20 minutes before the potatoes and beets are done cooking, begin preparing the quinoa (enough for four servings) per package directions.
  • While the quinoa cooks, sauté the beet greens in the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, just until slightly wilted (about 2 minutes). Set aside. Slice up the avocado and set aside.
  • For the garnish, take a small handful of cashews and toss them into a small, dry skillet. Turn the burner to medium heat and toss the nuts around until they begin to toast (you will smell them). Watch this step as the nuts can easily burn if unattended. Remove the skillet from the heat when finished and pour the nuts into a bowl.

Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce

  • Place the drained cashews in a high power blender (I use a Blendtec, which I love) or food processor. Add the water, lemon juice and whole cloves of garlic and blend all the ingredients on high until smooth (about 30 seconds). You may want to add a little more water to obtain your preferred consistency. Salt to taste and pulse to combine.
  • To serve, place about 1/2 cup of quinoa in a bowl and top with the veggies, arranging them side by side. Drizzle a generous amount of the cashew sauce over the entire bowl. Top with toasted cashews and serve immediately.