Can’t Beat, Roasted Beets

/2 Comments/in , , /by

Just Beet It

I have a running shirt that says “just beet it”.  It makes me smile when I wear it.  Beets are just fun that way.  I bought my shirt at the Engine 2 Retreat  I attended this past summer, a big step in honoring my intention to eat healthy.  It was an incredible weekend of food, friends, learning and beets.  Not only did I buy a super cool shirt, I found several other beet lovers who were happy to share their recipes with me.

Where do I buy beets?

I have been blessed to have beets in my CSA box.  (read more here on how I picked my farmer! for my local readers–check out these local options.)  Currently, I support 3 local farms–2 of these are less than 5 miles from my house.  Ok, I know I’m weird when I get excited thinking that my beets are growing just a few miles from the house.  (Then again, I am the lady who suggested that I make myself a dress out of Swiss Chard on a video!)  My local farms Radical Root and Sandhill Farms have been alternating weeks of having beets in the boxes–completely unintentional yet it has let me “pace myself” on my beet consumption.  I urge you to find your own CSA options.  My third farm is Tomato Mountain Farm in WI, they actually deliver to my door!  I love them just for that.

If you don’t have a CSA–then go to the grocery store.  They seem to always have beets available.  Even my Super Target has beets!  So really–there are no excuses for not buying beets.  

How to Cook Beets

So simple.  

  • wash them
  • cut the “tail” off so they will “stand up” on the baking sheet
  • line them up on a foil lined baking sheet
  • roast at 400 for a good 40 minutes.  I prefer my beets to be a little firm.
  • I wrap the beets in the foil and store them in the fridge up to a week.  (they NEVER last that long.)
  • I peel them as I need them.  Having beets prepped ahead of time is very helpful during the busy week.

roasted beets

 

How to Eat Beets

I eat them just warm out of the oven.  I have simple tastes.  But you could also:

  • serve them cold with a vinaigrette (your can try my recipe.)
  • mash them (like potatoes) add salt, pepper and Earth Balance vegan spread.
  • cut into cubes with feta cheese sprinkled on top (I serve this side dish warm).  Vegan option:  I use some panko bread crumbs instead of the feta.
  • add them to salads–it turns everything pink, so if that is a deal breaker . . . eat them on the side.
  • juice them–this is done with raw beets and it is one of my most favorite, amazing ways to eat beets!  Beets, carrots, one apple and ginger–this is a wonderfully grounding juice.  When I feel scattered or just need to breathe–this juice does that.  It offers me quiet energy.

Share with me!

How do you eat beets?  Share your recipes in the comments!  Then tweet it out so we can share the love of beets!roasting beets

[Tweet “I shared a beet recipe on Renee’s Kitchen! Come see it!”]

Be Blessed as you eat with L.O.V.E.!

Renee

 

Roasted Brussel Sprout-Cranberry-Pecan Salad

/0 Comments/in , /by

Roasted Amazing!

This could not have been more simple!  Three ingredients–Brussel Sprout, sweet and tart cranberry and the crunchy pecan.

I placed cranberries, Brussel sprouts and pecans on a roasting sheet.

Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let it cool.  Toss in fig vinaigrette.  

It was incredible warm . . . an cold.  

For another great BS roasted recipe, go here.

[Tweet “I am going to make this salad for Thanksgiving! Yum.”]

Roasted Brussel Sprout Cranberry Pecan Salad

brussel sprout cranberry pecan salad

 

 

 

 

Simply Amazing Vegan Brussels Sprouts

/3 Comments/in , /by

Who even eats Brussel Sprouts?bspanko

I don’t think that I have ever eaten a brussels sprout on purpose.  No lie.  We never grew them growing up.  I remember cooking them at Robby’s Ice House but the smell was enough to cure my curiosity on tasting them.  I was sure that anything that smelled that bad . . . I could live without eating.

Last Week Everything Changed 

I bought a salad mix.  On Instagram I posted a few of the salads kits I bought to try out different blends.  What I didn’t realize was the blend of fresh kale and fresh Brussels sprouts would be a prepared mix.  It was awful.  Since I post my successes and my failures, one of my oldest friends Dana, said she loved them.  That made me think–why does she love them and I hate them.

Trying Something New!

I decided to try my hand at roasting them.  I genuinely love to roast veggies (and I’m kind of good at it) my thinking was I would try making them two different ways.  One was simple roasting with sea salt.  The other was sea salt, pepper AND panko break crumbs.  I cooked 1/2 pound one way and 1/2 the other.  

Something amazing happened

They were awesome.  I nibbled on them all day, my homeschooled kids nibbled on them and when my away school kids came home–the pan was empty.  They passed the kid test.  Not one grain of salt was left on the plate.

Go Ahead, You do it!

[Tweet “I dare you to try my BS recipe! #vegetarian #vegan #roasted”]

BScollage

Vegan?  Really?

I feel the need to say this is a vegan recipe–you could add parmesan cheese, bacon bits, coat them in an egg wash and bread them . . . but I think vegan, simple is best for me.  (But if I had to get my husband to eat them–I would need to add the bacon bits and the parmesan cheese.)  

Go out now and buy a bag of BS and cook them up.  Let me know how it works for you.