Elizabeth Johnson, chef and owner of Pharm Table, in San Antonio, Texas, specializes in “an anti-inflammatory way of cooking real food.” Her self-described focus is “great-tasting, tantalizing-looking food, sourced as ethically as possible, that creates a circular economy locally.” Here is how to put together one of her most popular—and delicious-recipes.
Beet Noodle Salad
Beet Noodles
Ingredients:
2 raw beets, peeled
2 tablespoons ginger, minced 1 teaspoon turmeric, minced 2 tablespoons lemon juice Pink salt to taste
Method:
- Spiralize beets with spiralizer. Reserve the ends of the beets for the beet crema.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and massage the noodles and other ingredients until fully incorporated.
- Set aside to allow noodles to marinate.
Beet Crema
Yield: 4 cups
Shelf Life: Keeps in the refrigerator for 5 days
Ingredients:
Reserved beet trim from beet noodles 1⁄2 cup cashew cream*
1 teaspoon gochugaru pepper (can sub Chile or Aleppo pepper)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon pink salt
1⁄2 tablespoon cinnamon
1⁄2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom powder 1⁄2 tablespoon ginger, minced
1⁄2 cup water
Method:
- Steam the beet trimmings in an electric pressure cooker for 10 minutes on the pressure cooker setting. Using a paring knife, remove any unusable trim from the beet ends.
- Combine the cooked trimmed beets with all of the ingredients in a blender, process until smooth.
*Cashew Cream
Yield: 1 quart
Shelf Life: Can be reserved for two weeks. Soak two cups dry cashews in boiling hot water for 30 minutes. Strain and discard the water. Transfer the soaked cashews into a blender. Turn the blender on low speed and add 11⁄2 cups fresh water and blend until the cashews form a thick, smooth cream. Transfer the cream to a container.
Cilantro Coconut Chutney
Yield: 1 quart
Shelf Life: Keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days (loses color after 3 days)
Ingredients:
3 cilantro bunches (leaves only, stems reserved for tea or stock) 1 cup coconut flakes, blended
1⁄2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1⁄2 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon pink salt 1/2 teaspoon honey
Method:
1. Place coconut in Robot Coupe/food processor, blend for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl.
2. Place ginger, lemon juice, salt and honey in Robot Coupe/food processor. Blend for 1 minute; add the cilantro and blend for
1 additional minute.
3. Add mixture to ground coconut and stir to combine.
Salad Assembly
On a plate, layer 1 cup of salad greens of your choice with 2 cups of beet noodles, drizzling with 1⁄4 cup beet crema. Garnish with fresh spearmint and Thai basil herbs. Add additional optional animal protein if desired. Top with Cilantro Coconut Chutney and any additional seasonal summer fresh vegetables available.