The Beauty Of Beets - Fresh Salad Recipe
Although beets are not one of the top favorite vegetables for many people they certainly have been a staple in the kitchen for many generations. Beets, or beta vulgaris, are in the same family as cacti, carnations, spinach, and Venus fly traps and the earliest evidence we have of the root vegetables existence dates back to the days of the ancient Babylonians in 800 BC.
In the beginning, only the leaves of beets were used for both culinary and medicinal purposes and then beetroot was eventually used as a food a few hundred years later. Soon, beet juice and the entire vegetable were consumed and the juice was also used as a natural dye. Beets can even be used for making wine.
Today there are several varieties to choose from including golden, orange, and striped beets with the most popular being known as the "Red Ace," which are dark red in color getting even darker after being cooked. Beets only contain about 75 calories each making them a healthy and nutritious ingredient to use to make salads more filling.
Beets tend to have the best taste when they are cooked whole and unpeeled. Bake, boil, or steam them and they can then be peeled, chopped, sliced, diced, or mashed after cooking. Beets can also be roasted which will intensify both their color and their flavor.
Always wash beets carefully make sure you do not break the skin or roots. When boiling whole beets, only use enough water to just cover them and leave about an inch of the stems remaining and the root ends intact to keep the vegetables from "bleeding" into the water.
It should take about 30 minutes for young beets to fully cook and a full hour or so for old beets. You will know they are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork. Allow them to cool or drop in cold water for a minute or so to easily remove the skin.
Golden Beet Salad Recipe
What You Need
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Roast the golden beets for 1 hour then allow them to cool before peeling.
Peel the roasted beets and dice into 1/2 inch sized pieces.
In a medium sized skillet, combine the diced beets and onions with the red wine vinegar, chicken broth, orange flavored liqueur, tablespoon of sugar, and the grated orange peel.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until there is only about 2 tablespoons of liquid left. Make sure to stir the mixture often.
Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature before proceeding with the next step.
Add the pomegranate seeds with salt to taste to the beet mixture and mix well.
Arrange the arugula leaves on 4 salad plates and top with the beet mixture.
Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top of the golden beet salad and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Use a spicy flank steak marinade to tenderize and bring out the best flavor of this relatively inexpensive cut of meat. A steak marinade with acidic ingredients is an easy way to make even the toughest cuts of meat tender and delicious.
To continue please CLICK HERE
In the beginning, only the leaves of beets were used for both culinary and medicinal purposes and then beetroot was eventually used as a food a few hundred years later. Soon, beet juice and the entire vegetable were consumed and the juice was also used as a natural dye. Beets can even be used for making wine.
Today there are several varieties to choose from including golden, orange, and striped beets with the most popular being known as the "Red Ace," which are dark red in color getting even darker after being cooked. Beets only contain about 75 calories each making them a healthy and nutritious ingredient to use to make salads more filling.
Beets tend to have the best taste when they are cooked whole and unpeeled. Bake, boil, or steam them and they can then be peeled, chopped, sliced, diced, or mashed after cooking. Beets can also be roasted which will intensify both their color and their flavor.
Always wash beets carefully make sure you do not break the skin or roots. When boiling whole beets, only use enough water to just cover them and leave about an inch of the stems remaining and the root ends intact to keep the vegetables from "bleeding" into the water.
It should take about 30 minutes for young beets to fully cook and a full hour or so for old beets. You will know they are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork. Allow them to cool or drop in cold water for a minute or so to easily remove the skin.
Golden Beet Salad Recipe
What You Need
- 4 golden beets
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon orange peel, grated
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Roast the golden beets for 1 hour then allow them to cool before peeling.
Peel the roasted beets and dice into 1/2 inch sized pieces.
In a medium sized skillet, combine the diced beets and onions with the red wine vinegar, chicken broth, orange flavored liqueur, tablespoon of sugar, and the grated orange peel.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until there is only about 2 tablespoons of liquid left. Make sure to stir the mixture often.
Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature before proceeding with the next step.
Add the pomegranate seeds with salt to taste to the beet mixture and mix well.
Arrange the arugula leaves on 4 salad plates and top with the beet mixture.
Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top of the golden beet salad and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Use a spicy flank steak marinade to tenderize and bring out the best flavor of this relatively inexpensive cut of meat. A steak marinade with acidic ingredients is an easy way to make even the toughest cuts of meat tender and delicious.
To continue please CLICK HERE
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