~Whenever I think of beets, I think of my aunt’s pickled beets she would make for Thanksgiving, and the lengths I would go to avoid them. There they were, sitting in the dish leaking their red juices staining the dish a deep red. Even thinking about it now a stink face appears. But after having tried beets in my rustic roasted veggies recipe, I can come to appreciate beets a little more.
Not only are they rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, they are so dang versatile! You can roast them, pickle them, fry them or eat them raw. And they come in some many varieties: red, golden, candy cane, purple, the list goes on. I first came across beets at the Lockport farmer’s market about a month ago. I knew I had wanted to blog about beets at some point (especially wanting to create a catchy title lol), and then was a good time as any. I found a bunch that only had 3 beets in it, I didn’t want to get a huge bunch in case I didn’t like them. After sitting in my fridge for a while, along with other assorted vegetables, I threw them in a pan with some spices and voila! My Rustic Roasted Veggies were born!
I thinly sliced some 2 of the 3 beets and tried them raw, to know what I would be getting myself into. It was pretty tasty, sweet with a slight crunch. And after they were roasted it was even better! I still have one beet left (and it’s pretty big), my plan is to slice it thinly on the mandolin (without taking a chunk of my finger with it, dammit kohlrabi) and pan frying it in either olive or vegetable oil. My mom had found some dried beets at Aldi the other day and I took some with me in my lunch for work.
As I was sitting on the staircase (we don’t have an official break room) chomping away, one of my coworkers asked me what I was eating. When I told her I was eating beet chips, she gave me a puzzled look and commended me on eating healthy. Haha I try. Next time I cook with beets, I’ll try making my own beet chips and cooking with the greens, since they are good for you too! I’m also hoping to get my hands on some candy cane beets. I see them used on Chopped (perhaps my favorite cooking show) and they look so cool!
The Garden Goddess 