Roasted Golden Beets and Apricots

Little Bowl of Sunshine

Apricots remind me of my father.  Growing up, dried apricots seemed to be his snack of choice. Even to this day I can find a pack of dried apricots in my parent’s cupboard.  I’ve always wanted to like Apricots.  They are juicy and intensely sweet, but I’ve noticed my taste buds have a hard time handling the sweetness. Crazy, I know!

Whenever, I come across a main ingredient I don’t like I try to figure out a method that will agree with my taste buds.  Because let’s be honest, usually it’s not the ingredient but how it’s prepared that can make or break its appeal.  So instead of dried apricots, what if we roasted them and threw in another more mellow ingredient like Golden Beets!  Let me just say it’s awesome AND it can be prepared as Baby Food!  Got to love a two-fer!

First, take the Apricots and slice them in half.  Do the same with the Golden Beets (I had to quarter some because they were so darn HUGE!) and lay them on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast your fruits and veggies till the beets are fork tender.  Once the roasting has completed, toss them into the food processer. Don’t forget  to take off the skin of the Beets- that would not be tasty.

Director’s Note– let me just take a minute to pause and admire the beauty of caramelized apricots.  That char intensifies their flavor…the king is in for a treat!

Pulse the mix till it becomes a smooth puree.  Mine had a little texture to it because little Lew likes it that way.  Adjust as you need to for your little one.  You may need to add some water to smooth it out…just eyeball it.

Just look at that sunny mixture!  This looks like summer in a bowl.  You can serve this plain or as a mix-in with rice or even oatmeal. Delish!

All I can say is “The King” was pleased.  I may have had a few spoonfuls as well.  The mixture tastes bright and sunny as it looks.  The mellow flavor of the beets compliments the sweetness of the Apricots to perfection! I would even consider keeping some of the ingredients whole and tossing them in a green salad with some feta- might be worth a try!

What’s an ingredient you would like to make over so it appeals more to you? Let me know below!

Roasted Golden Beets and Apricots

 

Print

Ingredients

• 8 medium golden beets, scrubbed and halved lengthwise
• 8 large fresh apricots, halved lengthwise

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Arrange the beets and apricots on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 25-30 minutes.
3. Transfer the beet and apricots to a food processer and puree until smooth. Allow the mix to cool. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature. You could even serve it over rice.
4. **Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months.
5. ***If you can’t find fresh apricots you can substitute with dried ones, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes and then drained.

3.2.1311

JJ