Ever notice how fresh, nutritious foods not only taste great, but also happen to be absolutely beautiful? I mean honestly, I could walk circles around a good produce section or a local farmers market just ooohing and aaahing at all the beautiful colors and shapes that surround me.
Am I alone here? (I realize that I might be).
Now any of you that have ever worked with red beets before know very well that unless you are wearing gloves (which I never do) your hands will turn the same brilliant red color that penetrates the beet. Pretty much anything that comes in contact with red beets will absorb their color (beware cutting boards!).
I suppose you could say that red beets are a bit of a “pigment-pushing-bully.”
BUT it is exactly that deep-red-purple-crimson pigment, also known as betacyanin, that gives beets their powerful cancer-fighting ability!
A characteristic, that many would argue, is well worth a few red finger tips.
Oh and the greens! I know that I can’t be the only one guilty of throwing these delicious (and super nutritious) babies out from time to to time; but whenever I take the time to clean them up and cook them, I am never disappointed.
If you’ve never tried beet greens, think something along the lines of Swiss Chard. They are earthy and once cooked soft and tender. I love adding a splash of apple cider vinegar to beet greens just to round them out a bit and give them a nice little pop!
SO… what about you??
What do you guys like to do with your beets and/or beet greens?? I’d love to hear your ideas ans suggestions in the comments:).
Yield: Serves 4-6
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:45 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
Ingredients:
- 4 beets with the greens attached
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
- 1.5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375.
Peel beets and cut them into small bite-sized pieces. Toss beets with one teaspoon of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Place beets on a rimmed baking sheet and pop in the oven for thirty minutes or until the beets are fork tender.
While the beets are cooking, heat remaining olive oil in a nonstick sauté pan over a medium high heat. Reserve 2 tbsp of onion and set aside. Toss the remainder of the onion into the oil and cook for about five minutes or until the onions are tender.
Stir in beet greens and apple cider vinegar. Allow to cook until the greens are just wilted – this will only take a minute or so.
Allow everything to cool a bit before assembling the salad.
In a large bowl combine the two tablespoons of raw onion that you reserved earlier with dill, beet greens, roasted beets, and quinoa. Season with salt and pepper.
Gently toss in the feta cheese and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrients per serving: Calories: 156; Total Fat: 4.9g; Saturated Fat: 1.3g; Cholesterol: 4mg; Sodium: 243mg; Carbohydrate: 23.4g; Dietary Fiber: 5.5g; Sugars: 7g; Protein: 6.4g
GeenyBeeny
March 22, 2010 at 5:12 pmI absolutely love beet greens, and usually buy fresh beets just so I can have the greens! Usually what I do is wash them well, spin them dry in a salad spinner, then saute them with a little olive oil & minced garlic. At the end I add a little splash of balsamic vinegar along with a dash of salt & pepper. I eat this alone or with the roasted beets. Divine!
Cyndi
March 23, 2010 at 4:09 amThat looks fantastic! I’m just starting to buy beets – have only roasted them so far. Love quinoa so this recipe will be put to the test!
I’ve heard that eating beets (which contain the plant form of iron) and the beet greens (contains vitamin C to better help us absorb the plant iron) together is a good, synergistic combination. Even so, the flavor combo sounds like a winner!
Jennifer
March 23, 2010 at 5:15 amI heard that corse salt will get flavors and colors out of cutting boards. I’ve yet to try it but I believe it might work! For the life of me never remember to wear gloves and I cannot get the purple red hue off my hands from beats for days. I sometimes use golden beats to avoid dying my hands if I have an important function to attend! This recipe sounds wonderful! I have some left over quinoa and I’m going to the grocery store tonight so I will pick up some beats! Thanks for this beauty!!!
:)
March 24, 2010 at 5:59 amDid you use red quinoa or the red color from the beets gave the quinoa the beautiful red color? I will definitely try this. Another one of my type of recipe.
Jennifer
March 25, 2010 at 4:55 amSo I tried this recipe but I omitted the dill and feta because I didn’t have them and instead added goat cheese since I love a chance to eat red beets with goat cheese! I also omitted the vinegar since I figured balsamic would go better with the goat cheese but I ended up just eating it without vinegar at all. I may add the vinegar when I eat some leftovers for lunch today. I love love love that I can use the beet greens, I used to just throw them away. I never even considered cooking them like greens, but they are WONDERFUL. Thank you very much for this inspiring recipe! I will no longer throw away my beet greens!
Wendy
March 25, 2010 at 6:58 pmI juice both the beets and the beet greens.
Meike
March 31, 2010 at 9:58 amI never had beet greens until I made this dish. So good and good for you. Thank you for making an awesome dish that features one of my favorite veggies the beet. I will be making this for the summer months. Its now on my fridge for quick reference.
Nancy
April 2, 2010 at 5:19 pmVERY Good.
Greg
July 11, 2010 at 10:29 pmThanks for this recipe it was delicious and looked amazing. Turned out really well, I added a sausage brat to the dish for protein and it was a great meal.I’m glad I added beats to my diet this year, wish my parents would have bought them when I was younger.
Anne
October 28, 2010 at 8:45 amThis sounds really delicious! I grew up eating beet greens, with a splash of white vinegar…yummy. I was just wondering, how many servings does this recipe make?
Sara
December 8, 2011 at 9:51 amthis has become one of my favorite recipes. so easy and SO delicious!
Mike
February 3, 2012 at 7:49 amI just made this today, to have for dinner tonight… if there is any left. Since I did not have fresh dill, I substituted with 2 teaspoons of dried dill. This healthy, flavorful dish will now be worked into my meal rotations. It is also perfect for vegans on St. Valentine’s Day. Thanks!
Mike
February 3, 2012 at 8:14 amOops! My last comment referred to “Vegan”, where vegetarian should have been the word.
Jenha
April 17, 2012 at 7:43 pmI love beets and eat them (roasted) all of the time, but I had never tried doing anything with the beet greens, until I read this recipe. Thank you for introducing me to a lovely new flavour.
Tonight I made this recipe (as written) for the second time in 3 days. It is absolutely delish!! I bought fresh dill specifically for this recipe, and I’m so glad I did – I think the fresh dill is what makes this salad so interesting. I can’t wait to explore your site and try your other recipes!