Un"BEET"able Recipes

When you think of beets, what comes to mind? Maybe a not-so-fond childhood memory? Well, think again, because beets are one of the trendiest veggies around! There are many new ways to cook and eat beets that will surprise your tastebuds. In addition to tasting so good, beets are also great sources of fiber, folate, and vitamin C. Keep reading for some great ways to add beets to your meals.

Beets can be bought fresh, canned, pickled, occasionally frozen, and even juiced. If you buy fresh beets, green leaves might still be attached to the beet root. Don’t throw them out! Beet greens are delicious and can be used like spinach in many recipes. Beet greens are a good source of fiber and have no cholesterol. Try them in your next salad or in the Greens & Beans recipe.

For fresh beets you should use a produce-scrub brush to help remove soil when washing beets under water. A vegetable peeler can remove the thick skin before cooking or eating beets raw.  Another trick to remove the skin is to cook it first, let it cool, then use a paper towel to rub the skin right off.

If you like your beets cooked, there are three main ways to cook beets: boiled, steamed, and roasted. After boiling or steaming beets, they could be added to the ingredients to make Hummus, creating a bright purple dip! Another yummy recipe is Beet and Tomato Soup, for a cold winter day.

Roasting beets is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness. Try this recipe, Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze. You can even add your other favorite root vegetables like sweet potatoes to this dish. Roasted beets can turn any salad into a star. Add beets to a spinach and beet green salad, then top with orange segments and chopped nuts. Or mix the roasted veggies from the above recipe with cooked grains like whole grain rice or barley, dried cranberries, and mixed greens for a filling lunch bowl.

While beets are fantastic cooked, some recipes use beets raw after cutting them very thin, like this recipe for Rootin' Tootin' Ribbon Salad. If you’d like to try a similar recipe that’s a little more savory, mix the same amount of carrots and beets with a vinaigrette dressing. Get creative with your beets!