Veggie Blog Weekly Feature: For the Love of Beets!

 

February… its hard to think about this month without the colour red and hearts. So, this week I’m focusing on both thanks to the local beets in this week’s bundle! Not only do beets taste delicious, they also give a natural red/pink hue to your cooking and are also considered a “heart healthy” vegetable since they are high in nitrates which research suggests improves cardiovascular health in several ways. With Valentine’s Day also being this week many would agree there’s no better way to someone’s heart than with tasty food! Show your love to your family, friends, or your significant other with this week’s delicious, easy heart healthy recipes featuring beets to give them the colour of love.

 

Tomorrow (February 10th) is also Lunar New Year, the year of the Wood Dragon and red-coloured clothing is worn throughout the Lunar New Year as it symbolizes prosperity and is thought to ward off evil spirits. So bring out the red and enjoy all the special celebrations this week with delicious food!

 

Beet Hummus

Created by: Elena Szeliga

Start your Love meal off with beet hummus appetizer or serve it earlier in the day for lunch with vegetables and pita for dipping!

 

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized beets

1 15.5 oz or 400 g can chickpeas reserve a few whole chick peas to garnish

3 TBSP tahini

3 TBSP lemon juice

1 clove garlic or more, to taste

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or more, to adjust the consistency

Reserved whole chickpeas, black sesame and more olive oil to garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C. Wrap each washed and dried beet in aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour. Pierce with a fork to check the readiness. Let cool and peel.

2. Combine roughly chopped beets with chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, sea salt and black pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth, gradually adding the olive oil. Add more salt and/or pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with extra olive oil, black sesame seeds and whole chickpeas.

 

Beet Soup

Created By: Lisa Bryan

Delicious for Valentine’s Day lunch, first course or main meal served with a salad!

 

Ingredients:

2 TBSP avocado oil, or olive oil

1 yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBSP fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped salt and pepper, to taste

3 large beets, peeled and diced (or 4 beets, if smaller)

1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced (approx. 1 cup)

4 cups vegetable broth, or more for desired texture

Garnish: coconut cream or yogurt, parsley, black sesame seeds, cracked black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the avocado oil in a large stock pot on medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

3. Add the diced beets, diced parsnips and vegetable broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the beets are fork tender.

4. Use a ladle to transfer the soup to a high-powered blender. Blend for one minute or until creamy.

5. To serve, pour the soup into a bowl and garnish with coconut cream or yogurt, parsley, black sesame seeds and cracked black pepper.

 

 

Beet Pesto Penne Pasta

Created By: Just Beet It!

Jazz up pasta night with a nutritional powerhouse pesto sauce featuring the beautiful red beet! Beet Pesto Pasta tastes light but is rich in flavor.

 

Ingredients:

2 medium red beets, roasted and peeled

2-3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pine nuts), toasted

3/4-1 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast

salt and pepper to taste

about 3/4 lb penne (wheat or gluten-free) pasta

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to packaged directions. Remember, if using gluten-free pasta it is more sensitive than regular pastas, so follow all directions accordingly!

2. While the pasta is cooking, pulse all ingredients in food processor starting with beets, walnuts, garlic, and basil. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and other ingredients until fully blended.

3. Add pesto to cooked pasta, and lightly mix.

4. Garnish with more nutritional yeast, chopped walnuts, or chopped basil. Pine nuts rather than walnuts also work well.

 

Beetroot Risotto

Created By: Rebecca Pytell

Ultra creamy beetroot risotto. A delicious and beautiful side dish done in 30 minutes. This healthy risotto recipe will have you winning dinnertime!

 

Ingredients:

½ cup chopped sweet onion

1 cup beet puree (about 3 cooked small beets, processed)

1 cup white Arborio rice

3 cups vegetable stock/broth

1 TBSP fresh chopped mint

1 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat a seasoned cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, allow to sweat for 3 minutes, then add the processed beets and stir.

2. Now add the uncooked rice to the skillet and allow the rice to absorb the beet juices for about 3 more minutes, then add the mint, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, and pepper. Stir.

3. Now add ½ cup of the cooking stock to the skillet. Keep the heat to a medium low setting. Stir in the stock then just allow the rice to absorb the liquid. Once most of the stock has been absorbed and the rice is bubbling in the middle, add another ½ cup of stock. Continue this process for the full 3 cups of stock, adding half a cup at a time and stirring it in.

4. The rice will be soft and creamy when complete. Top with additional chopped mint if desired and serve.

 

Don’t forget dessert!

 

Beet and Sweet Cherry Chia Pudding with Coconut Milk

Created By: Just Beet It!

Beets have natural sweetness making them a great ingredient for giving love to your sweet tooth!

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chia seeds

1 — 13.5 oz can coconut milk (or about 2 cups of preferred milk) 1/2 cup red beet, peeled, cubed and cooked* 1 1/2 cup sweet dark cherries (frozen or fresh, pitted) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 - 1 TBSP maple syrup or a dash of stevia (optional) 1/8 tsp salt (optional)

*You may also use raw beets, but the taste may be stronger. Did you know, cooked beets make them a little sweeter and less “earthy” than raw beets.

Instructions:

1. Combine chopped beets and coconut milk in high-speed blender until the beet is completely blended. The result will be a beautiful pink milk. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, use a food processor and blend until the beet is in tiny pieces. Then, strain the coconut milk mixture using only the liquid and eliminating the chunky pieces.

2. Add one cup sweet beets, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sea salt (optional), and maple syrup (optional) to the beet milk mixture and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add a dash more coconut milk. 3. Pour mixture into a medium bowl, add chia seeds and gently mix. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

4. Place mixture in covered glass container, sealed Tupperware, or mason jars and place in fridge. If using mason jars for a ready-to-eat option, fill up jars (pint size is good) halfway with chia pudding, leaving room to top with sweet cherries, coconut shreds, hemp seeds, and other ingredients. Seal jars and place in fridge.

5. Let mixture sit overnight or at least 1-2 hours in fridge. Mixture will get thicker the longer it stays in the fridge making it easier to top with more sweet cherries, more fruit, coconut shreds, etc.

6. This chia pudding texture is quite thick. If you wish for a thinner consistency, add more coconut milk or preferred milk base.

7. When ready to eat, top with the remaining sweet cherries and other favorite toppings, such as coconut shreds, berries, chocolate drizzle, granola, etc.

8. The chia pudding will keep about 4-5 days refrigerated, but typically, it’s eaten within a few days because it’s so tasty!

 

 

 

Recipes curated by Lauren