Recipes For Beets

After yesterdays story about my giant beets, how could I not follow up with some of my favorite beet recipes? So here goes some of my favorite.

Raw Beet Salad (best flavor the 2nd day)

Raw Beets grated

1 apple grated to add extra sweetness (I prefer HoneyCrisp or other sweet variety)

Garlic powder and onion powder

Honey to taste

Basalmic vinegar (or in a pinch use apple cider vinegar I prefer Bragg’s raw-unfiltered)

Citrus Juice to taste ( I use True Citrus https://www.truelemon.com/ crystal packets so the salad doesn’t get to watery). I change up using lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit depending on my mood.

In the past, I used to use some good olive oil in this salad but have found the flavors and texture delightful even without the added oil. Mix all ingredients with a fork and store salad in an airtight container.

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Root Vegetable Fries

I like t o make baked french fries to cut down on the amount of fat, those with air fryers can cut down on the fat or even eliminate it ,but I prefer at least some oil since I don’t use any kind of flour or crumb coating. Beet, carrot and potato fries can be made on the same baking sheet (I coat the potatoes first with seasoned oil and put them on one side, then the carrots, and finally the beets so the red does bleed onto the other fries making sure to leave space on the tray between each fry so they do not get soggy) .

I season the oil with generous amounts of garlic powder and a hint of rosemary or a mix of cilantro, lemon crystals, and ginger. Roast in oven, middle rack, at 385 degrees until fries are cooked through and crisp on outside. Beets and carrots will not turn out as crisp as potatoes but have wonderful flavor especially when all three are baked at the same time.

Pot Full of Roots

Just like Root Vegetable Fries, I like to do several veggies at the same time.

Layer in large stockpot whole, scrubbed vegetables (try to use veggies that are close to the same volume size so they all cook evenly). Beets on the bottom, carrots next, a layer of parsnips if you have them, and a layer of potatoes. Add an inch of water to keep the beets from burning and simmer until the potatoes on the top layer are tender. Drain and eat the veggies warm with butter. I do not use any spice during the cooking process to be added at the table while the butter is melting into the vegetables.

Leftovers are kept in the fridge for several days and can be mashed individually or all together for another meal. This last step doesn’t usually happen because I like to grab a cooked carrot, beet or potato to eat cold as quick snacks.

Steamed Beets (this is how I use up all my Baby Heads)

In two quart saucepan, steam cubed beets just until tender or if you are in a real hurry, grate the beets to speed up the cooking time. Do not overcook.

Serve the cooked beets as a side veggie with melted butter, or chill the cubes to make Cold Beet Salad or mix with sour cream for breakfast (yum!).

Cold Beet Salad

Cubed beets

A couple Tablespoons of quality olive oil

A couple Tablespoons of Bragg’s Cider Vinegar

Very finely diced onion

One cubed up ripe pear (if it is very ripe go ahead and smash that sucker)

A clove of pressed garlic

Chopped filberts (hazelnuts)

Feta or Gorgonzola cheese, mix some into the salad but save some to add for a topping