Innovation (or dinner doesn't always have to look the same)

Recipes: Beets 'n greens with blue cheese, Roasted chickpeas, Deviled eggs,  Sausages

Some days you just don't feel like the usual all-American meat, starch, and veggies dinner. Maybe you've over-indulged and want to eat light for a day or two. Maybe the weather's hot, or you just feel like doing something different.

It's a truism that dinner doesn't always have to look the same.

Similar to the way you might order two or three appetizers in a restaurant rather than a full dinner, you can approach cooking from a many-plates point of view. In Chinese menu-planning, more or fewer people for dinner doesn't cause the cook to make more or less of each dish - the cook merely adds or subtracts dishes. There are many ways to think about dinner. Feel free to innovate!

Recently I had fresh beets, and more importantly beet greens, that I had just harvested from the little planter in the back yard. I had a big pot overflowing with rainbow chard in the front yard. When my partner mentioned that he'd like to eat light for dinner (his belt felt tight?), I started to think about small plates around beet greens.

Fresh beet greens are delicious and very healthy, but they last about a day. You can put them in a glass of water in the window sill or in the refrigerator, which helps. Regardless, they need to be used as soon as possible or you'll end up throwing them away. What a waste of good taste!

Let's start with beet greens, then, and consider the principles of Balance, including color, texture, taste, and availability:

• Beet greens (plus chard, why not?) are green and tender when cooked. They are nutritious and full of vitamins.
• Beets are deep red, sweet, and fairly solid when cooked. They contrast well with greens, and naturally taste good with them. Beets are good sources of antioxidents, Vitamin C, and fiber.
• Garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) are a good source of protein. They are tan and crisp, and provide a taste and texture contrast when roasted with salt and cumin. We have cans of garbanzo beans in the house.
• Eggs are white and yellow. Eggs provide protein and, when deviled, are spicy with mustard and capers. They are soft in texture and are a pretty contrast with green, red, and tan. We have eggs in the house.

Do you see we are building a piece of art? We are creating a light meal that will be beautiful as well as delicious and nutritious - what a great way to stimulate appetite and show love!

In my case, I know my partner likes and needs lots of protein. I already have beans and eggs, but I'm not going to make more than one egg per person because of the cholesterol impact eggs have. There are two chicken chorizo sausages nestled in my freezer. The sausages are tan like the chickpeas, and they are mildly spicy like the deviled eggs. When they are cut in pieces they are roughly the same shape as the beets. They will complete our work of art by binding all of the elements together.

Lacking sausages, a few boiled shrimp would work the same way, or a tin of smoked trout, or several pieces of smoked salmon, or a drained and flaked can of tuna. Or, you may not need more protein at all. You could use olives, or marinated mushrooms or artichoke hearts, to round out the meal.

Let's cook some dinner.

Boiled Beets

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees to pre-heat for the garbanzo beans, which we'll cook next.

Cut the root-tail and the stems of the beet to a length of about 1 inch. Wash the beets thoroughly, scrubbing them with a vegetable brush - they tend to harbor dirt. Cut large beets in half.

Put them in a small saucepan with a cover, and add water to almost cover them. Turn the heat to medium and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat down and put the cover on. Cook at a simmer for about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Test them with the tip of a paring knife - when they are done the knife will pierce them with no resistance.

Drain the beets and let them cool off for at least 10 minutes. Be careful when draining, as the red juice will stain your clothing. When the beets are cool enough to handle, pick each one up with a paper towel and rub the skin off. The tails and stems may rub off - if not cut them off. Put the skinned beets in a bowl.

Roasted Chickpeas

While the beets are cooking, drain one can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and put the beans in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin. Toss well with a couple of spoons to coat all the beans.

Spread the beans out in one layer on a small baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring and turning once after 15 minutes and again after 30 minutes.

When the beans are roasted, take them out to cool. This dish is finished.

Deviled Eggs

While all the rest of this is going on (beets cooking, chickpeas roasting), put two fresh eggs in a small saucepan with water just to cover. Bring the water to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and put the cover on. Let sit for 12 minutes. Yes, time it - the time is important to ensure the deliciousness and tenderness of the eggs.

When the 12 minutes are up, drain the hot water from the eggs and run cold water over them. Let them sit in cold water for a few minutes until they are cool enough to peel.

Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Put the cooked yellow yolks in a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and a teaspoonful of drained capers. Mix well together.

Put the yolk mixture back into the depressions in the egg halves with a teaspoon, mounding the mixture. Put the egg halves on a serving plate and sprinkle with a tiny amount of cayenne pepper or sweet paprika. This dish is finished.

Sauteed Beet Greens and Chard

Strip the leaves off the larger stems of both the beet greens and the chard. Discard the stems and any bad-looking leaves. Wash all thoroughly and drain in a colander.

Cut the leaves in wide strips. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add the greens all at once to minimize splattering. Slowly turn the greens from top to bottom until they cook down a bit.

Add a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper. Continue stirring the greens until they are all wilted and any remaining liquid is gone. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon (or more) Tamari soy sauce and stir to combine. As an alternative to soy sauce, you could sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Either taste is excellent.

Put the greens in a serving bowl. Cut the cooked beets in chunks or slices and arrange on top of the greens. Sprinkle a small handful of crumbled blue cheese over the beets. This dish is finished.

Sausages

Defrost the sausages, either in the microwave on low (defrost) or by letting them sit in a bowl of cool water while you make the rest of the dishes.

In the same skillet you used for the greens, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the whole sausages and cook on one side for three or four minutes. Turn the sausages over and cook them for an equal time on the other side.

Take the sausages out of the pan and cut them into two-inch pieces. Heat the pan again and put the sausage pieces back in for two or three minutes, tossing and stirring them. This dish is finished.

Assemble the dinner on serving plates, or make a plate for each person. Here's how I presented my work-of-art for two; of course you will have your own beautiful dishes:

Buon appetito!