Give Beets a Chance

Tonight's post will come much to Mark's dismay.

I have come to love his most hated food of all time. BEETS!

Beets are a root I seldom cook with, mainly because we didn't eat them much growing up... besides pickled beets... to which I will still say- no thanks. But I recently saw a beautiful photo of sliced beets in a health magazine, which was enough to convince me to buy them last week.

The lowly beet. Just wants to be eaten. Even comes with an emotional tag.

Beets are a bargain. Not only do you get the beet root itself, but the greens on top are edible too, and quite delicious when sauteed! If the colors of the leaves look familiar, it's because baby beet greens are often found in your favorite salad blend, Spring Mix. Beautiful bright, purpley-red beets contain a powerful pigment. It's powerful for many reasons...

1. It helps protect against cancer.
2. It's a great source of iron and folate.
3. It stains your hands and makes it appear as if you have committed murder.
4. It can cause something called beeturia... or so I hear.

The last time I had beets was in the summer at a fantastic restaurant called The Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT. I had a crepe filled with beets, caramelized onions, and goat cheese. It was memorable! Beets and goat cheese are a trendy combo these days, and one that I know I like... so this is the direction I took with my own.

I chopped 'em up with some onion and coated them with the most fantastic oil you will ever taste. It's simply called "Basting Oil," and it's made by Wegmans. It's garlicky, herby, and just awesome.

Run, don't walk, to the nearest Wegmans and BUY THIS! I roast EVERYTHING in it!

I roasted the beets and onion with a little salt and pepper at 375 for about 30 minutes. Just out of the oven, I tossed it all with some goat cheese. It was warm, sweet, salty, creamy, tangy... it was just plain good. I also sauteed the greens in the same garlic oil. I didn't intend on taking another photo, but I had to mid-bite, because it was too yummy.

I ate my beets and greens with some brown rice and lentils, cooked in garlic and red wine.

The very next day, I saw someone on TV make a beet and quinoa salad. It's like this week was destined for BEETS! I couldn't find the actual recipe, but it did inspire me to create something similar of my own.

I roasted beets and onions the same way described above. (I actually turned the heat down to 350... sometimes little pieces of onion burn easily, and I didn't have that problem this time.) I added those veggies to some quinoa cooked in salt, pepper and garlic. Quinoa is a high-protein grain with a nutty flavor. It cooks up in just 20 minutes on the stove top. I fluffed in some lemon juice, honey, olive oil, chopped cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and yes... goat cheese! It was pink and delicious... I currently can't stop eating it.

I hope you will try this beautiful root for yourself. If not, at least buy yourself some goat cheese!

I can't wait to make this for my future husband! I'm sure he'll come around... after all, when he first met me, he didn't like... mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, beans, vinegar, or curry. Now he can't get enough. Let's hope he falls in love with beets soon!