Beets with Arugula “Cheese” and Orange
Beets with Arugula “Cheese” and Orange (recipe follows post)
An Easy Elegant Appetizer and a Story
I exhaled on Tuesday for the first time in 5 months. Not your normal exhale but a long breath from deep down inside. As the air escaped from my lips, months of pent up stress traveled with it. Finally, a feeling of pure joy and delightful expectation started to overcome me, along with complete exhaustion.
Many of you know that I moved to California from Minnesota 2 years ago. It was a big move and many adjustments had to be made. About a year ago, with the blessing of my partner, Peter, I started looking for a new house. We wanted a home that reflected our life together, and how we wanted to live. Peter’s house was a bit too big and formal and I desperately missed having land.
Looking for a home in the Bay Area is not an easy task. Soaring real estate prices, and limited availability are two tricky obstacles that needed to be overcome. Add into that a desire for multiple garages (Peter) and land (me) and the term, “looking for a needle in a hay stack” comes to mind.
My other biggest challenge was finding a kitchen that I loved. I write this blog, write cookbooks, and am a professional food photographer. I spend hours in the kitchen daily. It is not only the place I prepare food, it is my office and my inspiration place.
All of the houses we looked at had beautiful kitchens. The problem was they were someone else’s idea of a beautiful kitchen.
My kitchen is completely plant based. I need a great flow. Having to make extra movements takes time and frustrates me. None of the kitchens would work the way I needed them to work. And redoing new, lovely kitchens was out of the question.
Then one rainy day, my realtor, Pat told me she had found a property that she thought we should look at.
I had already seen this home online and ruled it out. The turquoise and black bathroom, the 1970’s kitchen, and an exterior that was, shall we say, less than attractive? But she insisted (mostly because it had a huge garage for my car-building sweetie) and it also had a little land.
The drive up to the house was an adventure. We were only minutes from a major highway, smack dab in the middle of civilization and all of a sudden we were on a tiny road, climbing, twisting, and turning. And the views…oh the views! Both jaw dropping and stomach dropping all at the same time.
We emerged at the top of the ridge, and houses started appearing. As we pulled into the driveway, I took one look and thought, “No way, this house is not for us.” But the beautiful acre and a half had caught my attention with it’s twenty plus heritage oaks. And the views off the front were amazing.
Then we walked through the front door. Two story windows greeted us with a stunning view of Mt. Diablo in the distance. “Holy cow, I thought, “This is amazing.”
A quick walk through revealed a home that was well loved but looked like it hadn’t been updated since it was built in the early 70’s. It needed help. A lot of help.
But at the same time, it had potential. Amazing potential.
I will save you all the details, but it took over a month just to determine if we would buy it. Meeting with the builder, numerous inspections to make sure it was still sound and a lot of tricky negotiating to get it to a price that would accommodate the entire renovation that was needed.
While all of this was going on, I found myself driving up the windy road a couple times a week. There was something magical about this place that was calling out to me. Needless to say, I was falling completely in love with what at that point was only a dream and I had no idea if it could become reality.
The second part of the story was getting our house ready for the market. That is what has been keeping me away from the blog. Day after day of cleaning, clearing out, painting, fixing up, staging. It was exhausting work but in the end, with a lot of help from my daughter, Kaia, it all paid off. On Monday, the last major hurtle was cleared and I exhaled.
So, now you know what I have been up to, and I apologize for my absence. To celebrate being back in the kitchen, I put together a beautiful and easy appetizer I know you will simply love.
Beets, a light and fluffy arugula “cheese spread”, oranges and walnuts create a tasty and balanced flavor profile. Make this for your family or when entertaining. The only advance preparation is throwing the cashews in water the night before you want to make it. Cheers and enjoy!
Beets with Orange, Arugula "Cheese" and Walnuts
Arugula Cheese
- 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup water
- 1 lemon, juice from
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- 2 cups arugula
- In a high-speed blender, blend cashews with water until thick and smooth. Start with 1/3 cup water and add the rest if you need.
- Add the lemon juice, garlic and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to food processor and add arugula a handful at a time, pulsing between additions. You want the leaves to be chopped in the mixture. Alternatively, finely chop the arugula and hand-stir into mixture.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Beets
- 2 medium beets, sliced about 1/8th inch
- 2 oranges, supremed (for instructions on how to supremed, click here: Oranges)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- extra arugula leaves for decorating
- fresh cracked pepper
- Place beets on dish.
- Top with arugula “cheese”, a slice of orange and walnuts. Add fresh ground pepper if you wish.
Barbara Weith wrote on May 30, 2014
Susan, I so relate to your experience with the house search and remodel. When my late husband (also Peter) and I
moved back to the States from Germany, we were disappointed about the postage stamp sized properties, etc. Then, like
you, the dream property was found on a canyon on the edge of a cul de sac in San Diego. My kitchen also went through one
heck of a remodel to make it perfect for my cooking/un-cooking passion like you. I am also a native Minnesotan. I just
love your creative, colorful recipes and photos – I have a whole file folder full of your wonderful creations — along with
my own as well. Glad to have you back! You are such an inspiration.
Raine wrote on May 30, 2014
Susan, congratulations on finding such a treasure! It sounds amazing! I loved reading your story, and can’t wait to see your kitchen. I’m intrigued about the flow, and would love to see the features you incorporate to make it fit your lifestyle and needs. Looking forward to the pictures and trying this delightful looking app! Best 🙂
Sue wrote on May 30, 2014
It was definitely a beet. I peeled it prior, too. My husband also had a similar experience as a child with a beet from his parents garden. Cooked beets are not a problem. I was thinking maybe I could “cook” them raw with vinegar, like one would do with raw fish and lemon juice. Have you tried that?
Sue wrote on May 30, 2014
I’m new to the raw food diet and am loving it so far. Question: I had a really nasty experience years ago when I took a bite out of a raw red beet I had grown in my garden. My mouth and throat were on fire and felt dry as a bone! Nothing helped but to wait (a very long time) for the sensation to dissipate. How do you avoid that with the raw beets in your recipes?
Susan wrote on May 30, 2014
Hi, Sue, I can say I have never had that experience in my life with raw beets. Are you sure it wasn’t a radish? Can it be that you were allergic? Or that something from the garden had gotten on the beet? Do you have the same problem with cooked beets? Beets do contain oxalic acid. Maybe you have a sensitivity to it. Cheers…
Susan wrote on May 30, 2014
Thanks, Mary! Yes, renovation is daunting but so fun. I can’t wait to bring this one to it’s full glory! And we have metallic wall paper in one of the bathrooms….well it was there a couple of days ago. I believe it is in the dumpster today… Cheers!
Susan wrote on May 30, 2014
Thank you Tiffany! We have a HUGE deck that overlooks the mountain. I think you are right….lots of dinner parties! Cheers!
Demi Garner wrote on May 30, 2014
So happy for you, Susan! What an adventure for you and Peter. Looking forward to seeing some photos!
Susan wrote on May 30, 2014
Thanks, Demi! I am going to be posting pictures of the whole thing. Should be fun. It is currently in complete demo mode…what a mess!!
Christi wrote on May 30, 2014
Congratulations! Looking forward to new house pics! Especially your new kitchen. I’ve been making a Mathew Kinney recipe regularly, with thinly sliced raw beets, fennel and faux goat cheese with candied walnuts. I need to eat beets weekly for my gallbladder issue, but I am getting bored with the same recipe so this is a god send. Can’t wait to try it!
Susan wrote on May 30, 2014
Thanks so much, Christi! Enjoy!
Pamela wrote on May 30, 2014
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your life with us! I’d love to see photos of your new house, well, at least the kitchen and views. 🙂 Good luck with everything.
Susan wrote on May 30, 2014
Thank you, Pamela! I will be posting pictures and stories the whole way through. Today I meet with the arborist as we have about 20 heritage oaks that desperately need attention. Cheers!