They may not be the prettiest things you'll find in your local produce aisle, but beets, or beta vulgaris as the plant is known scientifically, can do some beautiful things to your health. You'd never know it from its unassuming appearance, but the beet may well be nature's multivitamin, loaded with nutrients like potassium, vitamin C, fiber, iron, antioxidants and betaines, which help fight inflammation. No surprise then that studies have found that consumption of beets can help lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
There's a good chance that beets aren't the first things that come to mind when planning your week night meals. But there are actually endless ways to work beets into your diet without any trouble. They're simple to roast, steam or boil and they're great in everything from salads to desserts. Yes, dessert! Beets are naturally sweet and moist, which makes them a perfect addition to cakes. And while you probably don't think much of drinking beet juice, research shows that doing so might help your blood pressure. Plus they mix well with other fruits and vegetables.
You can find beet juice recipes -- and many more -- in the new book The 10 Things You Need to Eat and you can watch a tip for preparing beets in the video below.
Beet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Recipes for Health - Beets - The New Spinach - NYTimes.com
Greek beet salad with skorthalia
Healthy Cooking Tips From The Mayo Clinic
Just boil them separately, add a bit of olive oil, salt, and good vinegar.
A quick meal that's sweet and tasty! Use more oyster sauce and sugar to taste
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into thin 1 1/2 inch strips
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon salt
3 (8.25 ounce) cans sliced canned beets, juice reserved
1 1/2 cups sugar
Directions
1.In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
2.Heat the oil in a separate medium saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook about 1 minute. Mix in the pork, oyster sauce, and salt.. Cook 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until pork is evenly browned.
3.Stir the beets, about 2/3 cup reserved beet juice, and sugar into the pork mixture. Continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes, until beets are tender. Serve over the cooked rice.
"A gorgeous, healthy, and very tasty beet soup that's so simple to make. Beets and sauteed onions and garlic simmer in beef broth before being finished with a swirl of cream."Rate and Reviewfasdfasd
Prep Time:
20 Min
Cook Time:
40 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 medium beets, peeled and chopped
2 cups beef stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
heavy cream
Directions
1.Warm olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic; cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in beets, and cook for 1 minute.
2.Stir in stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, and simmer until the beets are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.
3.In batches, add soup to a food processor, and pulse until liquefied. Return soup to saucepan, and gently heat through. Ladle into bowls, and garnish with a swirl of cream.
Only I'm going to make it vegetarian, using vegetable stock and a dollop of yogurt instead of the cream.
Even where I live - in the Deep South - we have cold spells, and those are the days I fix soup a lot.
When beets are juiced along with apples, celery, oranges, and fresh ginger, the color is gorgeous and the juice is delicious and surprisingly filling. Plus, it feels good knowing that you're helping to cleanse your blood and detoxify your system.
Yum.
I love beets;
Marinated in sherry vinegar with onions, with walnuts & blue cheese, in orange, olive oil and cumin dressing, juiced w ginger, carrot and celery or lime, with hard boiled eggs,onions and tuna or just roasted or boiled with melted butter on top.
And speaking of cheese, crumbled goat or any good cheese over a baked pear and beet salad is delicious with fresh, fresh greens or spinach which I'm serving tonight!
Once with friends, I remarked that I love beets because they taste like "dirt" and I later overheard the husband asking his wife if he had heard me correctly.