Beet Quinoa with Nectarine, Feta & Sweet Corn

The coolest piece of junk mail was waiting for me in my mailbox this afternoon. It was a promotional card for a company called "Imperfect Produce" that ships ugly fruits and veggies to your door that would otherwise be thrown away by grocery stores. The produce is 30-50% cheaper than grocery stores! I'll be their mail-marketing success story. Just signed up for my first free box.

But isn't my grocery store produce pretty? 

Tonya came over for dinner, wine and furniture kvetching. Luckily she came over late after her 6pm meeting (woof), because these beets took a solid hour+ to cook though. Dense little buggers. 

Regardless of the time commitment, I will definitely be making this again. Both of us kept eating out of the bowl, and not because we were hungry. And it's pink, so that's a plus. 

Beet Quinoa with Nectarine, Feta & Sweet Corn

2 large beets

1 cup white quinoa

½ lemon, juiced

olive oil

1 nectarine, cubed

2 ounces feta, crumbled

1 sweet corn cob, cut off

1 avocado, cubed

¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, reduced

sriracha

arugula

Preheat oven to 375. Scrub grit off of beets, then rub with olive oil. Roast beets for 45-60 minutes until very tender. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into 2” cube. Blend beets in food processor with olive oil and lemon juice until finely chopped. Scrape mixture into a large mixing bowl.

In a medium pot, add quinoa with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce and cover for 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Combine cooked quinoa with beet mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar, handful of arugula and sriracha.