Beets!!
What?!?! Yes, beets. They are great. Now a few years ago, I thought of beets as a nasty canned item that some old lady would try to serve me. My husband refused to try them again due to his memories of sitting at the dining table until he ate all of them off his plate. But our local co-op farmer had them on the menu so we tried them.
They are delicious and very good for you! So eat up.
To prepare them you can do a couple of things....for the roots (the red parts)
Burn them!
Yes, throw them on the grill until the skin begins to blacken (similar method to roasting peppers). Then peel the skin off, salt and pepper and enjoy.
Boil them!
Throw into a pot with water and boil until fork tender. Then peel, butter and eat.
Roast them!
Peel and dice. Toss with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put into a hot oven (400F) for 30 mins or until fork tender.
Grate them!
Grate them into salads or cole slaw! My grandmother grates them into horseradish at Easter time to symbolize Jesus' blood.
Our favorite way to eat beets...grate beets and place into a steaming basket with a sprig of basil and a couple lemon slices. Place over simmering water with tight fitting lid and steam for five minutes. Remove beets and discard basil and lemon. Mix with a scoop of yogurt and drizzle of honey with some salt and pepper to taste. Great hot or cold. The kids love this one! Even the baby (do not give honey to children under 1 year old!).
For the greens...
You can prepare them as any other dark green...so steam them or chop up and mix into soups or stir fries.
For more information on beets, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beets
