Beet Chickpea Loaf with Arugula Sauce

Like hockey’s Don Cherry and Ron MacLean, beets and goat cheese are meant for each other. So why not team them up in a loaf with plenty of rosy visual appeal? Farro helps add whole-grain texture, but you could also use brown rice, spelt, or wheat berries. Like many loaves, this one can be packed into a loaf pan up to a day in advance and kept chilled until ready to bake.

1/2 cup (125 mL) farro
1 lb (450 g) beets, peeled and chopped
1 cup (250 mL) rolled oats
2 cups (500 mL) cooked or canned chickpeas
2 large free-range eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon-style mustard
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced, divided
2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander
1 tsp (5 mL) smoked paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
1 - 4 1/4 oz (120 g) package soft goat cheese, crumbled
3 Tbsp (45 mL) unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
2 cups (500 mL) arugula
1 cup (250 mL) parsley
2 tsp (10 mL) capers (drained)
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil or camelina oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Place farro and 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered over medium-low until farro is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and set aside.

Place beets in steamer basket set over 2 in (5 cm) of water and steam until tender, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and grease 9 x 5 in (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan.

Place oats in food processor container and blend into coarse powder. Add beets and blend until pulverized. Add chickpeas, eggs, mustard, shallots, 2 garlic cloves, coriander, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper; pulse several times into a coarse mixture. Stir in goat cheese and cooked farro. Place mixture in loaf pan and press down firmly into an even layer and sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Bake for 35 minutes, or until set in middle and darkened around edges. Let cool for several minutes before slicing.

To make arugula sauce, place arugula, parsley, 1 garlic clove, and capers in food processor or blender container and process until mixture is roughly chopped. With machine running, add olive oil and lemon juice in a slow, steady stream, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl once or twice. Add more oil if needed to reach desired consistency.

Serve slices of beet chickpea loaf with arugula sauce.

Serves 6.

Each serving contains: 426 calories; 17 g protein; 19 g total fat (5 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 50 g total carbohydrates (9 g sugars, 9 g fibre); 393 mg sodium 

source: "Loafing Around", alive #389, March 2015