Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Healthy Beet Recipes

As promised, here are some healthy beet recipes from the FBYC Movable Market program:

Teriyaki Beets

Ingredients

12 small beets (or one bunch full sized, beets quartered)
4 Tablespoons butter or canola oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

Boil or steam beets until almost tender (10-15 minutes). Rinse in cold water and cut in half. Combine rest of ingredients in small pan. Heat gently, stirring, until sauce is smooth. Brush sauce on beets and heat under broiler 5-10 minutes, basting frequently.

You can add one finely minced clove of garlic to this sauce if you like.


Roasted Beet, Peach, and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

2 beets, scrubbed
1 bunch mache (or any lettuce), rinsed and dried
1 bunch arugula or spinach
2 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup pistachio nuts (or any variety nut), chopped
1 (4 ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup walnut oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wrap each beet in two layers of aluminum foil, and place onto a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the beets are tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Allow the beets to cool slightly, and then remove the skins. Let the beets cool to room temperature, or refrigerate until cold. Once cooled, thinly slice the beets.

2. Place the greens into a large mixing bowl. Add the sliced beets and peaches; sprinkle with the shallots, nuts, and goat cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until emulsified, and pour over the salad mixture. Toss well, and serve.


Beet and Blue Cheese Spread

Cooking Light magazine

2 beets
2 apples, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp. Horseradish or spicy brown mustard and lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400̊. Wrap beets in foil and bake for 1 hour or until tender. Cool and peel the beets. Place beets, apples, cheese and horseradish in a food processor, process until well blended. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

Friday, February 5, 2010

February Veggie of the Month is: Beets!

The Moveable Market program's veggie of the month is beets! Beets are high in the water soluble B vitamin, folate. Folate is best known for its importance in pregnancy and prevent of pregnancy defects. Folate is important in prenatal development (as well as all cells of the body) because it helps maintain and produce new cells. It is also important in red blood cell formation and maintenance of healthy circulation. Many Americans lack adequate folate in their diet. As a result, many foods have fortified folate, formic acid, added to them. Deficiencies in folate include mental fatigue, forgetfulness, irritability, and diarrhea. So eat your beets!

Stay tuned for more on the healthy recipes our nutritionist, Ryan, is preparing using beets. In the meantime, share with us your favorite way to cook or eat beets.