A Winter Salad to Find Your Roots

IT'S BOOK LAUNCH WEEK! 🎉

Get the full archive of over 140 recipes (all of which are naturally gluten-free)—including breakfasts, main dishes, sides, desserts, and more—in the recipe index.

(Before we jump in, I want to pause. As I edit this newsletter on Friday, I’m holding grief and anger after yet another senseless shooting and loss of life this week. As I share below, our bodies don’t fail us; what fails us are a culture and systems that do not value our bodies or our lives. Your body and your life matter. They are sacred. May we do what we can to hold all lives with that same reverence—and to change the systems that tell us otherwise.)

Hello my dears,

One night early last week I found myself padding upstairs in my slippers to our hallway bookshelf, my feet moving almost without volition. I was searching for a quote that was tickling the back of my throat—something about bodies, but I couldn’t quite place it. Ahh, there it was, Mary Oliver (of course):

As for the body, it is solid and strong and curious
and full of detail; it wants to polish itself; it 
wants to love another body; it is the only vessel in
the world the can hold, in a mix of power and 
sweetness: words, song, gesture, passion, ideas,
ingenuity, devotion, merriment, vanity, and virtue. 

Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.
-from Evidence, by Mary Oliver

This week, on Tuesday, my book officially launches into the world. It feels unimaginable—and at the same time, completely ordinary.

The practices and recipes in the book began percolating within me five, maybe even six years ago, slowly emerging like the first bubble of a bare simmer. It was a time when I felt deeply disconnected from my body. I was a recipe developer and food writer, teaching people how to get meals on the table, but at home I was flailing. Dinner—my favorite meal of the day—had become a source of stress instead of a creative outlet. I developed chronic indigestion and spent years on daily medication. I had lost my joy in the kitchen, not just as a cook, but as an eater.

The body is so wise, even when it looks like it’s failing us.

Because if I hadn’t reached that breaking point—standing in my kitchen one night, uncomfortable in my body, exclaiming “What the freaking hell?” after yet another stressful dinner hour, this book wouldn’t exist. My desire to heal and reclaim joy in cooking became the rope that led me back home to myself, and, unexpectedly, to this newsletter and podcast. To you.

What I was seeking last week, in my pajamas and slippers, was grounding.

Book launches are strange—an odd mix of the mundane and the new. Tuesday will look like any other day: work, groceries, shuttling kids to activities. But on Wednesday evening, I’ll be in New York City for a book talk, kicking off a series of live events over the next two months. It will be my first time teaching and speaking in person in many years. If I think about it too long, my heart starts to race. My mind wants to plan for every possible outcome: What if nobody comes? What if everyone hates the book?

And then I remember my body.

That no matter what happens—no matter what unfolds outside me (even if nobody shows up (but please come!))—I’ll be okay. I’ll still be me. The deepest, truest part of me won’t change.

We will all encounter moments this year that feel exciting, frightening, or out of our control. It doesn’t have to be a book launch. It might be a shift in routine, a new job, a desire to change habits, a new school, a struggling child, or a trip to an unknown city. When we feel grounded, we can meet these moments with more steadiness and clarity, remembering that who we are at our core remains intact. In feeling rooted, our mind can loosen its grip, and we remember that we are far more than the stories we tell ourselves or the events swirling around us—good or bad.

There are many tools for grounding—many of which I share in the book—but food can be one of them. So can the process of preparing it. With presence and intention, cooking and eating can quiet the mind, bring us back into our bodies, and reconnect us with the steadiness and joy of being alive in them.

Take this beet salad.

Beet salad, two ways

I’ll admit, I came late to loving beets. They were the one vegetable I couldn’t quite embrace. It wasn’t until I began layering them into vibrant salads like this that I fell in love—and fell hard. This salad, featured in the book (and shared below), is one of my favorite winter recipes. My husband and I can polish off an entire platter without blinking.

Like all the recipes in the book, it offers variations (because choice = power): you can top it with a silky tahini sauce or go for a creamy orange dressing. It’s finished with fresh toppings and Coriander Fennel Maple Nuts, which may very well ruin you for all other nuts (and yes, they’re in the book too!). I can’t decide which version I like better, but I’d love to hear which one you choose.

In the book, I offer an intention with each recipe—a gentle, optional invitation to guide your focus as you cook and eat. For this one, the intention is: I will feel grounded and rooted in who I am:

Maybe it’s because they grow in the soil and have an earthy minerality, or maybe it’s because they’re high in magnesium and antioxidants (both of which are believed to decrease feelings of anxiety), but beets are an excellent food for grounding. When I eat them I feel more solid, more of my body. They help plant me right where I am, which is always exactly where I should be (even if my mind tells me otherwise). For this recipe, feel your feet on the floor and connect to your own deep roots. Breathe into that quiet place inside you.

What does it feel like to be grounded and rooted in who you are?

As I write this, I can almost feel my feet sinking into cool earth, even though they’re wrapped in thick wool socks. My attention moves from my scattered thoughts (eeek, book launch week!!!) to the quiet intelligence of my body. Suddenly, things feel simpler: soil, cells, dirt, skin, blood, bones, sunshine, roots.

Here I am.

I hope that this salad helps you find grounding in the season ahead. I also hope that the book opens the door to more connection and joy in the simple, daily act of feeding yourself! ❤️

(Signed copies of the book are available through my local independent bookstore, Split Rock Books. You can also find the book on Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon, or you can come to one of the events below to pick up a copy in person!)

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Upcoming Events

Can we meet in person? (I know, I know, I’ll be okay if you don’t come, but it will be more fun if you do. 😉)

• JAN 12th | ONLINE
  The Blood Sugar Method — Free live class
  👉 Reserve your spot HERE

• JAN 14 | NEW YORK CITY

  Rizzoli Bookstore — Book talk + signing with Jenny Rosenstrach

  👉 RSVP HERE

• JAN 24 | KINGSTON, NY

  Upstate Table — Hands-on cooking workshop

  👉 Register HERE

• JAN 25 | COLD SPRING, NY

  MOVE — Book talk + signing with Sarah Copeland

  👉 RSVP HERE

• FEB 9 | SEATTLE, WA

  Book Larder — Book talk + signing with Aran Goyoaga

  👉 RSVP HERE

• FEB 10 | SAN FRANCISCO, CA

  Omnivore Books — Book talk + signing

  👉 Learn more HERE

• FEB 13 | LOS ALTOS, CA

  Happy Women Dinners — Dinner, demos + book talk

  👉 Register HERE

• FEB 27 - March 1 | STOCKBRIDGE, MA

  Kripalu Center — Weekend retreat (Cooking as a Spiritual Practice)

  👉 Register HERE

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Banana OR Apple Muffins

In her newsletter this week, Julia Turshen shared my Almond Flour Muffins from the book, which can be made with either bananas or grated apple. Get the recipe in her newsletter here.

Almond Flour Muffins from Mind, Body, Spirit, Food. Photo Credit: Rikki Snyder

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Loaded Potatoes + Two Podcasts

I was honored to be featured on two podcasts this week that I adore: The Dinner Plan with Maggie Hoffman, and Enlightened Omnivore with Steve Sabicer. These were conversations that nourished me long after they ended, and I hope they nourish you too. Maggie also shared my Loaded Smashed Roasted Potatoes from the book here!

Loaded Smashed Roasted Potatoes from Mind, Body, Spirit, Food. Photo credit: Rikki Snyder

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Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting this work—this book truly could not have happened without you. Wishing you a wonderful week, and remember to nourish yourself with intention and love!

xo, Nicki

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Roasted Beet Salad (Mediterranean Tahini or Creamy Citrus)

Excerpted from Mind, Body, Spirit, Food © by Nicki Sizemore, used with permission from Storey Publishing.

Photo credit: Rikki Snyder

One version of this grounding yet uplifting beet salad features a nutty tahini sauce with mint and feta, and the other features a creamy citrus dressing with avocado and goat cheese.

INTENTION: I Will Feel Grounded and Rooted In Who I Am

Serves: 4–6 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 50 minutes | DFO, GF, VG

ROASTED BEETS

• 1½ pounds trimmed beets (about 8 medium or 6 large beets)

• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• Small handful of fresh rosemary and/or thyme sprigs

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

MEDITERRANEAN TAHINI VERSION

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• ½ cup tahini

• ½ cup warm water

• Salt

• 1 teaspoon honey (optional)

• 2 handfuls of baby arugula

• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

• ½ cup Coriander Fennel Maple Nuts (recipe below), coarsely chopped

CREAMY CITRUS VERSION

• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (from 1 medium orange)

• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 small garlic clove, grated

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 handfuls of baby arugula

• ½ avocado, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

• ½ cup Coriander Fennel Maple Nuts (recipe below), coarsely chopped

MAKE THE ROASTED BEETS

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place the beets in an 8-inch square (or similar size) baking dish and add the garlic cloves and herb sprigs. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the beets are tender all the way to their center when pierced with a sharp knife. Let cool.

Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel and dice the beets, then transfer them to a bowl. Add the sherry vinegar and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Do ahead. The roasted beets can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

CHOOSE YOUR VERSION AND FINISH

MEDITERRANEAN TAHINI

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the grated garlic and lemon juice. If you have the time, let the garlic sit in the juice for 5 minutes to mellow its flavor. Add the tahini and water, and season with salt. Whisk to combine, adding more water as needed or processing in a mini food processor if the tahini is too thick to whisk. The consistency should be rich and thick but pourable; it will continue to thicken as it sits. Give the sauce a taste; if it’s a bit bitter for your taste (this will largely depend on the brand of tahini you use), stir in the honey.

Arrange the beets on a platter and mound the arugula on top. Drizzle with the tahini sauce (you won’t need it all, but you can serve the rest at the table). Sprinkle with the feta, if using, along with the mint and the chopped nuts. Serve.

CREAMY CITRUS

Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of the orange zest with the orange juice, white wine vinegar, grated garlic, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. If the dressing is too thick to drizzle, thin it with a small splash of water.

Arrange the beets on a platter and mound the arugula on top. Arrange the avocado slices over the arugula and drizzle with the citrus dressing. Sprinkle with the goat cheese, if using, along with the remaining 1 teaspoon orange zest and the chopped nuts. Serve.

Cooking Notes

• The Coriander Fennel Maple Nuts (below) lend an unexpected herby-sweet crunch to the salad and can be made while the beets cook.

• If you have leftover tahini sauce, drizzle it over salads, grain bowls, and falafel, or use it as a dip for veggies. It will last for weeks.

• If your beets come with their leafy greens attached, you can slice them up, discarding the thick lower stems, and sauté them in olive oil with garlic.

• For a dairy-free salad, omit the cheese and use a vegan mayo in the citrus version.

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Maple Nuts (Cinnamon Spice or Coriander Fennel)

One version of these richly aromatic maple roasted nuts is fragrant with cinnamon, while the other gets a pop of savory flavor from fennel and coriander seeds.

Makes: 2 cups | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes | DF, GF, VG

MAPLE NUTS

• 2 cups raw pecans or walnuts

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• Kosher salt

CINNAMON SPICE VERSION

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Pinch of Aleppo pepper, ancho chile, or red pepper flakes, or any other chile flakes or powders (optional)

CORIANDER FENNEL VERSION

• 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds

• 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds

PREPARE THE MAPLE NUTS

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the nuts on the prepared sheet pan and drizzle them with the maple syrup. Sprinkle generously with salt.

CHOOSE YOUR VERSION

CINNAMON SPICE

Sprinkle the nuts with the cinnamon. If sweet heat is your thing, add a hearty pinch of chile flakes or powder.

CORIANDER FENNEL

Put the coriander and fennel seeds in a small skillet and place it over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spices are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Scatter the spices over the nuts.

BAKE THE NUTS

Using your hands, toss the nuts well to evenly coat them in the maple syrup and spices, then spread them in an even layer—they should be touching, but not overlapping too much. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring two or three times while they bake, until the nuts are two shades darker in color and smell delicious. The maple syrup should look sticky and caramelized, not wet.

Sprinkle the warm nuts with more salt (be generous; this is all about the salty-sweet swoon factor) and then let them cool completely—they will harden as they cool.

Store. The cooled nuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.

Cooking Notes

• It’s important to cook the nuts until they’re a deep golden brown—the maple syrup should look tacky, not wet—and to let them dry completely. They will crisp up as they cool.

• Pecans and walnuts work best in this recipe, as their craggy surface collects the maple syrup.