Juicing Beets Raw
I’ve incorporated many vegetables in my diet by learning ways to prepare them so my husband and I will eat them. I really want to incorporate beets. To me they smell/taste like mud or dirt. But I’ve hated other veggies in the past that I now like (like cauliflower). So can anyone give me some suggestions on how to cook them to make them taste good to a beet hater like me? If it’s too complicated, time consuming, or requires unusual or too many ingredients, I won’t bother with it. Simplicity is key.
Here’s what I’ve tried so far and really disliked:
raw beets in salad
pickled beets from a jar
fresh beet juice (gag)
canned beets w/salt & pepper
For those who might ask why I would even bother with beets since I already have plenty of veggies in my diet, there are unique nutritional benefits to beets that most other common veggies don’t have.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49
The easiest, tastiest way to cook beets I think simple is best: oven-roasted, whole, in foil. Yes, foil.
When roasted in foil, the flavor and the color, both already vibrant, become intense.
It’s very simple: wash the dirt off of the outside of your beets, and trim down to just above the globe. Save those leaves; you can use the leaves just like Swiss chard.
Wrap them up like the gift that they are:
When you get a bunch of them together, they look like Hershey’s kisses. If you ask me, though, they’re better:
Cook them in a pre-heated 400-degree oven until tender. How much time, you ask? It depends on the size of your beets. Try 45 minutes. You should be able to slice them easily with a knife.
But what about those skins, you ask? Simple. Just run unwrap and run under some cold water..
And the skins will slip right off. No peeling necessary. I pinky swear it.
When you’re done, slice them up, and you will see that they are stunningly beautiful, with rich striations of color:
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And what to do with them at this point?
You can mix them with apples and/or oranges, and then drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Delish.
You can mix them with a little goat cheese, walnuts, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. A flavor punch.
You can pour a little orange juice and lemon juice on them, and enjoy them. Simple, easy, lovely.
You can them it with fennel and orange. Or put them into a velvety chocolate cake. Or make beet pesto.
You can add them to salads, then give that salad a name, like “Royal Ruby Jewel Princess Salad,” and convince a six-year-old to eat it with gusto. If your child is a little more macabre, try a name like “Blood sport salad.”
Or you can simply eat them like a peach. Which I have been known to do. Either way, they will disappear, because they are oh so tasty.
By the way, rumors of stained fingers while working with beets are greatly exaggerated. Any staining of fingers doesn’t last long. You may, however, want to protect your counters and cutting boards.
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Beet Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
* 1/2 pound beets (about 4 medium sized beets), scrubbed clean, cooked, peeled, and cubed*
* 2 Tbsp tahini sesame seed paste
* 5 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1 small clove garlic, chopped
* 1 Tbsp ground cumin
* 1 Tbsp lemon zest (zest from approx. 2 lemons)
* Generous pinch of sea salt or Kosher salt
* Fresh ground pepper to taste
*To cook the beets, cut off any tops, scrub the roots clean, put them in a covered dish with about 1/4-inch of water in a 375°F oven, and cook until easily penetrated with a knife or fork. Alternatively, cover with water in a saucepan and simmer until tender, about 1/2 hour. Peel once they have cooled.
Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings and ingredients as desired.
Chill and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Eat with pita chips, or with sliced cucumber or celery, or on a crostini with goat cheese and shaved mint.
Makes 2 cups.
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