Whenever I am in San Francisco, I love going to the Ferry Building where I can be found caressing chanterelles at Far West Fungi, fondling fruit at the Ferry Plaza farmers market, waxing poetic about the (vegan!) dark chocolate key lime apples at Recchiuti Confections, and drooling over the amazing bread from Berkeley’s Acme Bakery. Yes, we have to share this place with non-vegans but happily, there are plenty of options. We found a vegan butternut squash tamale that was divine! Back at the Acme Bakery, they make a few sandwiches and on this day, one of them was roasted beets, arugula, goat cheese, and horseradish. Natch, I had mine without cheese and while still very good, I thought it could use a little something. So on a recent day, I took advantage of some free time to reinvent this sandwich.
Roasted Beet, Sweet Tofu Ricotta, and Horseradish Sandwich
The Beets
Ingredients:
- 1 small bunch of Beets (2-3)
- 1 TBS Olive Oil
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Don’t discard these beauties! Saute them up in a little garlic and olive oil for later. Place the beets in a small baking dish, and toss with the olive oil. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet. Allow them to cool enough so you can handle them and using a pair of reusable kitchen gloves, rub off the skins. This is easier when they are a little warm. You can keep these refrigerated for a few days.
The Sweet Tofu Ricotta
Ingredients:
- 1 14 oz container of Extra Firm Tofu
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 2 tsp Agave
- Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Press the tofu (don’t know how to do that? Read this!) Crumble the pressed tofu into a food processor. Add the lemon juice, agave, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until just combined. These should have a very course texture, like that of a fluffy ricotta.
The Rest
- I TBS Prepared Horseradish (or freshly grated if you happen to have it on hand…use a little less if that’s the case)
- Greens of your choice…leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, arugula, watercress all work well
- Really Good Bread. I used a vegan oatmeal roll that I found at my local coop’s bakery and toasted it lightly.
Put It All Together
Spread the horseradish on one side of the bread. Slice the beets and place on top of the horseradish. Next, the lettuce and then the sweet tofu ricotta. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Kathryn Hostettler is a full time social work graduate student, part time pet nanny, volunteer with Rogers Rescues, and vegan home cook. She won an honorable mention in the November2009 Vegetarian Times for her Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Candied Cranberries recipe.