Friday, April 22, 2011

Beet Feast

I've been on a beet kick lately. I tried planting my own, but only one survived the frost, and then that one was dug up by the pups. So, I've been buying them left and right at the store. When I grew up, I only knew about beets in a can, and I liked them enough. I never would have voluntarily added them on at a salad bar or chosen them as a veggie to eat, but every now and then, when Mom would pop open a can, they were okay. I was in my twenties before I saw fresh beets with their greens, and it wasn't until after I had children that I tried to make them. I never bought them with their greens attached, just the detached bulbs instead. Who knew what to do with those greens? (G, of course, loves beets, could eat them all day, and they are always the most substantial part of his salads when we go to salad bars. SR has taken right after her dad: she loves them, as well. JK has good beet days and bad beet days, you just never know. GR is usually satisfied with most things I serve - she's the easiest.) So, a couple of years ago, I tried to start cooking their greens. Still wary of most greens, if you remember my iceberg lettuce and canned spinach days I grew up with, I wasn't the best greens preparer at first. Anyhow, now I've become brave with beets and their greens. I'm experimenting with different ways of cooking them, and below is not SR's favorite way, but it is by far the easiest. However, there aren't enough beet greens with the beets to feed my family, so I supplement with other greens to make a lush dish. I find the flavors of the mixed greens blends well. There are more than just the red beets around, so I've been having fun with a small beet rainbow. Here is an example of one of our meals with beets as its centerpiece. On the plate, timidly in the background, is a scoop of great northern beans trying to assert itself.



Beet Feast

Ingredients:

6-7 Gold beets, ends trimmed, peeled and cut into wedges
6-7 Red beets, ends trimmed, peeled and cut into wedges
The attached beet greens, stripped from their stems, washed and chopped
2 bunches of kale, stripped from their stems, washed and chopped or 8-10 cups chopped kale
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place prepared beets in pot of water. Bring to a boil, and boil for fifteen minutes. Drain. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of the oil. When hot add the greens a big handful at a time. When slightly wilted, add another big handful, until all the greens are in the skillet. If the greens are drying out and not really cooking, add the second tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Greens are done when they are slightly wilted but still have a bright green color. Serve alongside of beets. Mm-mmm. Feeds five hungry vegans.

16 comments:

  1. I never liked beets growing up. I recently bought a few and juiced them with a few other veggies which was really good. I guess next up is trying in a salad or your way. :) Now, I really never thought about eating their greens. I'll have to try them out. Your recipe sounds good!

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  2. Mmmm, what a wonderful plate of food...beets, greens, and beans...all that goodness from the earth!

    The beets are such a pretty color, nice touch using gold and red...and the greens are pretty too. I really like the idea of mixing the beet greens with kale.

    I usually buy the beets with greens on because you get two veggies in one, but recently I bought some of the beets w/o greens to see which way came out cheaper...the beets with greens on were a better deal.

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  3. I love beets! They're so pretty and taste great. I'm the only one that likes them in my household (well, the pups will eat them, though) and my in-laws always give me a bunch from their garden. I don't have to share, at least! lol

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  4. Hehe, the northern beans look positively angelic in the white glow of the photo!
    I've never tried beet greens themselves, but beets are wonderful. I eat them raw, mostly, but roasted one the other day and greatly enjoyed it.

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  5. Beets. Love them! Great in juices.
    Peace and Raw Health,
    Elizabeth

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  6. ive never tried beets, canned or fresh. but i am glad to know that you can eat the greens! i will try them soon!

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  7. MMMM...sounds delicious, but unfortunately its one veggie I must stay away from, its very high glycemic.

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  8. Michelle (LLV), I understand they are very good in juices. If you want to put them in salads, grating them finely raw tastes very good.

    Rose, I like having very natural, simple dishes. We eat like that a lot. I think it's fun having different colors of the same food - very kid friendly. Interesting price comparison - I'm always looking out for ways to save money.

    Good for you, Flower! At least your in-laws share their bounty!

    FF, that was the best pic out of the four I took that showed the beans. They were so angelic on the others, they were just a bright spot. :-) I like raw beets, too, grated.

    Elizabeth, I must try them in a juice. I hear so much about it.

    Michelle (DD), No beets? Ever? Run out now and try them somehow, someway, and eat their greens too! I want a full report.

    Millie, too bad. Hopefully, you have a lot of variety to choose from.

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  9. I really don't eat many beets. Maybe I should start!

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  10. I've never been a beet fan, though I will eat them on occasion. I've found I like them best roasted, in salads and in borscht. Golden are my favorite. Your plate of food is very appealing.

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  11. Cassie, give the poor beets a try!

    Andrea, it took me a while to become a fan of beets. I just kept discovering new ways to make them that I liked, that's all. :-)

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  12. I love Beet Greens but despise the Beet itself. They're certainly nutritious, so you're lucky that The Blessings enjoy them.

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  13. Poor little beets - what did they ever do to you, S.V.? :-)

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  14. I don't think I ever really loved beets growing up, but I have developed a taste for them lately, too. I mostly only use them juicing. But I've ordered them in restaurants. Have you made beet cookies yet? You must!!!

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  15. Actually, when I was around 10 years old, a jar of Aunt Nelly's Pickled Beets fell out of my mother's cupboard and my big toe broke the fall. My nail was black & blue for months. Poor little beets my *ss!

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  16. Jenny, no, I should try them though!

    S.V., sounds like your big toe sacrificed itself for the jar of beets, voluntarily.

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