This post is part of the Food Matters Project, a cooking collaboration among participating bloggers. Each week, we will cook a recipe from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook, which places an emphasis on mindful and sustainable eating. Follow along with us!

This week’s Food Matters recipe was selected by Meg of My Wholefood Romance. This was the first recipe I’ve made from The Food Matters Cookbook, and I can’t wait to try more.

Before you plan to make these delightful Beet “Sandwiches” for lunch, I will warn you that these aren’t your typical sandwich. Rather these sandwiches are a fantastic appetizer or afternoon snack and remind me of a cross between beet and goat cheese salad, spinach artichoke dip, and classic cheese and crackers.

When I made these I sliced the beet chips fairly thin so they produced a crunchy chip-the crunchy, subltly sweet beet chip served as a perfect compliment to the creamy pistachio filling. I think the filling would go great with other veggies such as sweet potatoes and zucchini; this would make for a really fun and colorful appetizer too.

To tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical when I first heard the recipe had the word “beet” in the title. I associate beets with the sweet and chewy side dish that I avoid adding to my plate full of stuffing and turkey on Thanksgiving. But I’m glad that Meg chose this recipe because it forced me to befriend a vegetable that I would never spent much time with otherwise. As it turns out I really enjoyed this recipe, and I think beets and I are going to become good friends.

I still have one beet left in my fridge and would love to hear about your favorite beet recipe. You can see other other bloggers’ “sandwich” renditions at The Food Matters Project.

Alex Milling is a recent graduate of Northwestern University and loves dry red wines.

**Recipe**

Beet “Sandwiches”
Serves 4
Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

2 large beets, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
A few pinches salt
3 ounces fresh goat cheese
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
2 cups arugula
Black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 400°F. Slice beets so they are about 1/8 inch thick (slice thinner for crispier chips). Toss beets in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Spread beets out on a baking pan. Bake, flipping once, until crispy, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Combine the goat cheese, pistachios and arugula in a food processor. Add salt, pepper and remaining olive oil. Continue running food processor and add more oil until the mixture is creamy.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling onto a beet chip, top with another chip and press gently together. Repeat with all the chips and serve immediately.

Tags: Nutrition and Health