Versatile Beets

Here's more fun with beets:

It's that time of year when beets are in season. Beets contain a natural sweetness that lends well to a variety of tasty, budget-conscious foods. While using up a batch of recently-purchased beets (fresh from the farmer's market), I came up with this recipe that doubles as a soup or main dish.

Beet Rice Soup (serves 4)

6 cups water

1 medium beet, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

5 slices leek (or ¼ cup cut onion)

½ cup uncooked rice (your choice of type)

¼ t thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

Fill large dutch oven with water. Place in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, partially covered, for about 20 minutes. Test rice and veggies for doneness.

For soup, ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or a dollop of plain yogurt, if desired. Store unused portion in airtight container in fridge. Or, freeze for future use.

For a main dish, steam up some skinless chicken. Dice up chicken and place onto serving dish. Remove solid food from the soup mixture with a sieve. Place mixture over the chicken. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese prior to serving. Store unused portion in airtight container in fridge. Or, freeze for future use.

There you have it. A cost-effective, nutritious and versatile way to use beets. Share with your friends so they get an idea about how tasty beets are.

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How To Eat Your Beets, the Tasty & Super Easy Way

Fall season is such a fun time of the year with all the abundance of seasonal foods. Beets are one such food. After recently going to a local farmer's market, one of my friends was stumped about what to do with beets. So, I shared some recipes and thought I'd share another recipe with my favorite readers here...

Beets are tasty either raw or cooked. Having a natural sweetness, you can make them into either savory or sweet dishes. And, no special technique is needed to enjoy these colder-temperature foods.

When purchasing beets, look for firm bulbs and green leaves with red spines. The spines are the center portion of the leaf. Cut off the greens and use them in fresh greens salads for extra tanginess and nutrition.

Here's an easy and tasty way to get accustomed to eating pure beets:

Herbed Beets

1 large beet

¼ t Italian seasoning

Cut off the greens and save for later use. Peel the beet. Cut the beet into wedges or slice into desired thickness.

Use a Dutch oven and fill with about 2” of water. Place a steamer basket into the Dutch oven. Place the beets onto the steamer basket in the Dutch oven. Cover and bring to a boil. Steam for about 5-8 minutes. Remove the cover and poke the beet with a fork to test for doneness. When the fork can easily go into the beet, remove the pan from the heat.

Remove beets from the steamer and place onto serving dish. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning to your taste. Or, just eat the beets plain without seasoning.

Enjoy!

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