Balsamic Beet Greens & Goat Cheese Crostini Recipe

Ingredients:

• about 2-3 medium Beets w/ Greens still on
• 1 Baguette, sliced thin (about 20 pieces), toasted in pan or oven
• about 6 oz pkg Goat Cheese
• 1 t fresh Lemon Juice or Lemon Zest
• very thin slices of fresh Lemons (optional)
• 1/2 t Sea Salt
• 1 t Balsamic Vinegar, or more if needed
• fresh cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

1. If roasting beet root: Pre-heat oven to 375° F. Wash beets, trimming greens @1" above top of beet. Put beets in a baking dish large enough to lay beets in a single layer. Add 1/4" of water to dish, cover with aluminum foil and put in oven. (If you want a bit more tang, coat beets with some balsamic vinegar while roasting.) Roast until cooked through, 30 min - 1 hr, depending on size of beets. Test doneness by feeling the resistance of a toothpick when poked into beet. Remove from oven to cool.
2. After beets have cooled, rub off outer skin, then slice or dice to your preferred serving size. If you want to serve warm, quickly saute beets with a little olive oil or butter until heated. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. (Other serving options: saute some crushed garlic until lightly cooked then saute beets together; finish sauteed beets with a little balsamic vinegar; add some fresh chopped herbs when sauteeing beets-mint, basil, tarragon, etc; add a bit of fresh lemon or tangerine zest after sauteing beets.)
3. For cooking the greens: Wash and cut leaves and stems. Heat water to boil in a medium pot. Add stems and leaves to boiling water and quickly blanche them. Taste a piece of stem and leaves until they are blanched to your liking. Quickly drain greens and rinse with cold water. Add greens to bowl, squeeze out excess water, then add balsamic vinegar and salt to taste.
4. In bowl, combine goat cheese, fresh lemon juice and fresh cracked black pepper. Combine well.
5. Spread goat cheese on crostini (toasted baguette slices) with goat cheese, thin layer of lemon sliced, thin slices of roasted beets and beet green greens (cooked or raw).

      Recipe found at: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/beet-greens-goat-cheese-crostini/