Beets
Baked Beet-and-Carrot Burgers
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled, grated beets
2 cups grated carrots
½ cup minced onion
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 T flour
2 T soy sauce or tamari
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/8-1/4 t cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly coat a baking sheet with butter. Place a small heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3-5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately remove from heat and transfer the toasted seeds to a dish to cool.
Return the skillet to the heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned , 3-5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.
Combine the beets, carrots and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, Cheddar cheese, oil, flour, parsley, soy sauce and garlic. Add cayenne and mix until thoroughly combined. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to turn them. Serve alone or on buns.
Beautiful Beet Salad
serves 4-6 (Farm Fresh and Fast by FairShare CSA Coalition; 2013) If you prefer your beets cooked, steam them whole until tender, cool and then proceed with the recipe.
Ingredients:
– 1 bunch salad greens (about 6 cups)
– 3-4 small raw beets, peeled and shredded or thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
– 1⁄2 small red onion, thinly sliced (or scallions?)
– 3⁄4 cup crumbled feta
– 1⁄2 cup sunflower seeds
Honey-Lime Vinaigrette:
– Juice from 1 lime (plus grated peel; optional)
– 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
– 1 Tbsp. honey
– 1⁄4 cup olive oil
– Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place salad greens in a serving bowl. Add beets and onion, sprinkle with feta and top with sunflower seeds.
2. Whisk all ingredients for the vinaigrette together. Pour over salad and toss. Let salad sit in refrigerator for 15 minutes prior to serving to blend flavors.
Beet and Kale Salad with Goat Cheese
(adapted from marthastewart.com)
Ingredients
1 bunch beets
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 bunch Red Russian kale, trimmed and torn into pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 ounces mild goat cheese (more or less depending on your preference)
Directions
1- Place beets in a large pot, and cover with water. Add enough salt so that the water tastes like the ocean.
Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until skins slip easily off beets, about 15 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel beets. Cut red beets into quarters lengthwise and 1/2-inch rounds. Combine beets, 1 tablespoons oil, and the vinegar, and gently toss.
2- Place kale in a large bowl, and bruise very roughly with hands. Add 1 tablespoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and massage into leaves 1 minute. Add lemon juice, and toss.
3- To serve, make a bed of kale on a platter, and scatter beets on top. Crumble goat cheese into chunks, and scatter over salad. Season with pepper.
Beets in Vinegar
This is a very simple way to prepare beets and very tasty. You can sure fancy it up a bit by adding blue cheese, toasted walnuts and serving it up on some fresh greens – maybe adding oil to the vinegar.Add 2 tsp of sugar to the vinegar mixtures if you like. Another nice addition is 2 T chopped parsley.
1 large red beet or several small ones
1 small onion sliced
½ cup vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Wash and trim the beets. Boil in salted water until tender – this may take a while.
Drain the water and run cool water over the beets. Slip the peel off the beet and slice.
Combine with the onion and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.
Chilled Beet Soup
1-1/2 pound small or medium beets, well scrubbed
4 cloves garlic
3 strips (3 inches long) orange zest
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground white or black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-1/2 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth or water
2 teaspoons honey
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
a few teaspoons cream or water as needed
Fresh dill sprigs for garnish (optional)
Heat oven to 375. Put the beets and garlic on a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Scatter on the orange zest and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Fold up sides of foil and crimp to make a tight packet. Bake for 1 hour. Open the packet carefully and check that the beets are tender. If not, continue baking. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes. Rub skins off the beets and cut into chunks. Peel the garlic cloves, Discard the thyme and orange zest, saving any juices collected in the foil. Drop about one-third of the beets chunks, the garlic, and any collected juices into a blender. Add some of the chicken broth and the honey. Before turning on the blender vent the lid by removing the pop-out center if there is one, or just open the lid a bit, and drape a clean dish towel over the vented lid. Blend to a smooth puree and transfer to a bowl. Continue in batches, pureeing all the beets. Stir in the orange juice and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate to chill the soup thoroughly. Meanwhile, stir the horseradish into the sour cream. Add cream or water if necessary to bring to a consistency of lightly whipped cream. Refrigerate until serving time. To serve, ladle the soup into cups or bowls, and spoon a bit of the horseradish and sour cream onto each serving. Garnish with fresh dill, if you like.
Chocolate Beet Cake
a recipe from Sara Christiansen
3-ozs. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup cooking oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups pureed beets
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1. Melt chocolate with 1/4 cup oil. Cool slightly.
2. Beat sugar and eggs with mixer until light and
fluffy. Slowly beat in remaining 3/4 cup oil, beets,
chocolate, and vanilla.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly
add to batter, stirring well. Spoon into greased and
floured 12-cup bundt pan.
4. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes in pan.
I put a chocolate glaze over the top of this after it
cooled. To make that melt 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
and 4 Tbsp. butter (or heavy cream) in a sauce pan
over low heat. When completely melted remove from heat
and add 1-2 Tbsp brandy, rum, or any liquor of choice
(I used Godiva chocolate liquor). Pour immediately
over cooled cake.
Chocolate Beet Muffins
from Spring Hill member Rae Frank: “ I didn’t have enough beets, even for 1⁄2 recipe. I mashed them with a fork instead of food processing so I wouldn’t lose any. They were not pureed sufficiently as a result. Better to use a mixer or food processor.”
4 medium beets, boiled and pureed (1-1/4 cup beet puree)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar (LVK: reduced from 1 1⁄2 cups)
1⁄2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
3⁄4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3⁄4 cup warm water (LVK: used beet juice in recipe instead of water to provide more flavor)
1⁄4 cup safflower (or canola) oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1. Cover beets with 2 inches water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until very tender when pierced with the tips of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Drain. Puree beets in a food processor until smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and 3⁄4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, water, oil, vanilla and 1 1⁄4 cups beet puree (reserve remaining puree for another use).
3. LVK: used muffin tin and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. (FYI: I cut the recipe in half yielding 6 muffins) OR
Coat a 9-inch round cake pan (3 inches deep) with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment and coat with spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn out cake from pan and discard parchment. Let cool completely, right side up. Trim top of cake to create a level surface using a serrated knife. Transfer cake, cut side down, to a platter. Pour chocolate glaze over top and let set, about 30 minutes. (Or maybe frost with a cream cheese frosting?)
Cumin Roasted Beets – (denisonfarm.com)
4 medium beets, peeled, cut into 1/4″ thick slices or chunks
1 to 1½ tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey
Salt & pepper
1 cup water
In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add beets, cumin, and honey. Stir until beets are well coated. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Cook about 1 minute. Add water and cook over medium-low or medium heat until beets are softened, and all the liquid is evaporated, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Jewel Roasted Vegetables
From Fine Cooking’s web site. This roasted vegetable recipe makes for a beautiful combination of colors. I’m hoping you have some carrots and thyme left from the last couple of weeks. If you don’t have carrots, try roasting the squash or sweet potatoes instead. Roasted vegetable recipes are generally very flexible. It is a good idea to roast the beets separately unless you want everything red!
4 medium beets
1-1/2 pounds carrots
1-1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
8 large cloves garlic, left unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Put the beets into a small baking dish and rub them with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes.
While the beets are roasting, peel and cut the carrots into 1-inch-thick rounds, and trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. Put the carrots, sprouts, and garlic cloves in a large baking dish and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
After the beets have been cooking for 30 minutes, add the large pan of vegetables to the oven separately, and cook everything for 1 hour more, stirring the vegetable mixture once or twice.
Remove the beets from the oven and transfer them to a cutting board to cool. Stir the thyme into the carrot and Brussels sprout mixture and let it continue to cook for another 10 minutes while the beets are cooled and cut.
Lynn Cooper’s Pickled Beets
Lynn sent this recipe along after bringing them to a farm potluck and being asked for the recipe. Thanks Lynn!
This is more of a guideline than a rule. I tend to scoop spices with a small kitchen spoon or just dump them in the pot, so use your cooking senses to make your own decisions on quantities; start stingy and add stuff until it tastes good. Kids tend to like these too!
6 medium or 3 enormous beets
1 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
2 spoons of ground cinnamon
1 spoon of ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
reserved cooking liquid from beets
Scrub and steam beets. Cool until you can handle them. Peel and slice, halving or quartering large slices. Use your food processor if you want very thin slices. In medium saucepan, heat vinegar, sugar and spices until boiling. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Add beets. Add reserved cooking liquid if needed to cover beets with liquid. Bring to boil and boil for 5 or 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least overnight, covered.
Pickled Beets
1 lb beets, peeled
1 white onion sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar or to taste
1 Tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground all spice
Pinch of salt
Cook beets in sauce pan covered with water. Simmer until tender. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Let cool slightly. Cut the beets into ¼ “ slices. Add onion slices and garlic. In a sauce pan, combine 2 cups beet juice, vinegar, sugar, cardamom, cloves, all spice and salt. Heat long enough to dissolve sugar. Pour over beets.
Store beets in refrigerator.
Pretty Beets & Carrots
serves 4 (Moosewood Restaurant New Classics; 2001)
Ingredients:
~ 1 large raw beet, peeled
~ 1 large carrot, peeled
~ 1 walnut size piece of fresh ginger root
~ 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
~ 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
~ 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
~ salt and ground black pepper to taste
~ ¼ cup minced scallions (or the tops from last week’s purplettes?)
~ 6 lettuce leaves
Directions:
1. Coarsely grate the beet and carrot to yield about 1 ½ cups. (Or use a mandoline or chef’s knife to matchstick.) Place in separate bowls and set aside.
2. Finely grate the ginger and combine it with the oil, vinegar, and garlic. Toss the beets with ½ half of the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix together the scallions, carrots, and remaining dressing. Add salt and pepper if desired.
3. Arrange the lettuce on a platter, mound the carrot mixture in the center, and spoon the beets around it.
4. Serve chilled or at room temp.
Roasted Beet & Garlic Salad
from Aurelia Wills – adapted from Vegetarian Epicure
2 lbs. beets, preferably small
1 head garlic
¼ cup olive oil
salt to taste
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 Tablespoon minced onion
pepper to taste
Scrub and trim beets. Break garlic into cloves, but don’t peel. Put beets into glass baking dish. Scatter garlic cloves around them. Add ½ cup of water, cover tightly and bake at 400 for one hour or until tender. Allow beets to cool slightly, then cut into slices or wedges. Squeeze out garlic cloves. Mash with fork, and add remaining ingredients. Toss with beets. Serve at room temperature.
Roasted Beet & Carrot Salad
serves 4 – (adapted from The CSA Cookbook; 2015)
Ingredients:
4 beets
¾ lb. carrots
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
¼ tsp. kosher salt
a few grinds of black pepper
Dressing:
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. stone-ground Dijon mustard
scant ½ tsp. ground black pepper
Additional Ingredients:
1-2 oz. creamy goat cheese (chevre)
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast on a baking sheet until a knife easily pierces through, about 40 minutes. Cool completely and peel off skin and trim ends. Cut beet into wedges and keep at room temp.
2. Toss carrots with 1 tbsp. oil and salt and pepper. Roast carrots in a single layer on a roasting pan until tender when pierced with a fork or knife, and slightly wrinkled. Combine with beet wedges in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together vinegar, Dijon mustard, pepper and remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; toss with vegetables.
4. Divide beet and carrots among 4 plates. Add a few dollops of goat cheese to each plate and garnish with parsley. Serve warm or at room temp.
Roasted Beets with Greens
1 bunch beets with greens
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted. (For larger beets, I peel and chop into chunks for roasting to speed things up.)
Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.
When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with either red-wine vinegar, or butter and salt and pepper.
Roasted Beets with Horseradish-Yogurt Sauce
(adapted from Epicurious.com) This recipe comes from Spring Hill member Colleen Bell “I have adapted this dressing/topping/sauce for roasted beets (hot or cold) from the Epicurious website. A couple of days ago I served this on a bed of greens (lettuce and kale from Spring Hill plus mustard greens, tatsoi and baby lettuce from my yard) with chilled roasted beets (sliced), toasted walnuts and a few crumbles of fresh goat cheese. Hard to believe it’s so good for us when it tastes like heaven!”
Horseradish-Yogurt Sauce (makes about a cup)
– 1 cup full fat Greek yogurt (plain)
– 1-1/2 to 2 ounces prepared horseradish
– 1/2 tsp. sea salt
– 1/4 tsp. crushed red peppers (dried)
– A few twists of fresh pepper from your grinder
Roasted Beets with Lemon
(adapted from Minnesota Farmers Market Cookbook; 2014)
3 medium beets, about 1 ½ lbs.
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced OR minced garlic scapes
1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
Oil beets with canola oil and pierce them several times with a fork. Roast on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until tender, about one hour. Cool to handle. Combine garlic, lemon zest & juice, olive oil and honey, whisk to combine. Peel beets and slice into desirable bites. Transfer to a bowl and add dressing, salt and pepper. Chopped fresh herbs made an excellent addition!
Roasted Root Vegetable Blend
serves 7 to 8 (harmonyvalleyfarm.com)
1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
9 cups root vegetables and/or winter squash, cut into medium dice (any vegetables you have-carrots, celeriac, potatoes, beets, parsnips, turnips, etc.)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Herbs de Provence or Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
ASIAN GARLIC-GINGER GLAZE:
1 Tbsp ginger, peeled and grated or minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup soy sauce (reduced sodium recommended)
2 to 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey, to taste
2 tsp red chili sauce (such as sriracha) or ½ tsp red pepper flakes
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the diced onion and root vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the vegetables with oil and sprinkle with the Herbs de Provence, chili powder and sea salt. Use your clean hands to toss the vegetables and mix to ensure everything is well-coated. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if needed in order to keep the vegetables in a single layer.
2. Roast the vegetables for 40 minutes, turning and stirring once, or until they are tender and golden brown.
3. While the vegtables are roasting, prepare the glaze. Add all glaze ingredients to a small skillet and bring to a full, but controlled, boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, while whisking frequently, until the volume is reduced by half; about 4-6 minutes. Remove glaze from heat and set aside until ready to use.
4. Remove roasted vegtables from oven, drizzle with glaze, and stir to coat. Serve warm.
Roasted Winter Vegetables
We have found that our favorite way to have celeriac is roasted with other vegetables. It’s mild, rich flavor is a nice addition to roasted vegetables. Peel its tough outer skin before cutting. Following is a basic recipe for any combination of winter veggies. Peeled garlic cloves are also a great thing to add.
6-8 cups winter vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, beets, winter squash, celeriac (peeled and cut in 1- inch pieces or slices ½ inch thick).
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano
Toss ingredients together (keep onions separate, as they will roast faster; add them to the pan 10 minutes into the baking time). Spread in a single layer on greased baking pans. Roast in a preheated oven at 425 until tender, 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Spicy Cooked Carrot (& Beet) Salad with Paprika, Feta, and Olives
serves 4-6 (The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone; 2014) Cookbook author, Deborah Madison, suggests cooked carrots and beets can be subbed for each other in many of her salad recipes and I agree. I doubled this recipe for a crowd and roasted 1 lb. beets and I lb. carrots, subbed basil for parsley and used Kalamata olives because that’s what I had on hand. With the hot paprika this recipe has a smoky spice that you can adjust as needed. It got good reviews from everyone adventurous enough to try it!
1 lb. carrots
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. hot paprika or Harissa
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
½ cup crumbled or thinly sliced feta
12 oil-cured olives, pitted and diced
Gently simmer carrots in salted water until tender but not soft, then drain and rinse with cold water. Slip off the skins and slice them into rounds or small pieces. Smash the garlic with the salt, then add the paprika and vinegar, and whisk in the oil. Toss the carrots with the vinaigrette, parsley and most of the cheese and olives. Taste for salt. Mound the carrots on a plate and garnish with the remaining olives and cheese.
Sweet and Spicy Beets
serves 4-6 – (The Birchwood Café Cookbook; 2015)
Author’s Notes: These beets will keep at least a week in the refrigerator and are wonderful added to salads or as a side to burgers and sandwiches.
Ingredients:
2 large beets, trimmed and scrubbed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. sambal, or more to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the beets on a baking sheet, and roast them until a thin knife is easily inserted into the center, about 40-50 minutes. Allow the beets to cool before peeling them. Cut the beets into ½-inch cubes.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the garlic, honey, and sambal. Turn the beets into the bowl, stirring to coat the beets with the dressing. Store, refrigerated, in a covered container.
Warm Beet, Swiss Chard and Hazelnut Salad
serves 4 (adapted from food52.com)
***you could swap the chard for beet greens or use a combo of both***
Ingredients:
– 4 beets, peeled and cut in ½ slices
– 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks cut into 2 inch pieces and greens sliced into 1-inch pieces
– ½ tsp coriander seeds
– ½ cup hazelnuts (or sub in almonds?)
– 2 Tbsp olive oil
– 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
– Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, place a steamer basket over 1 inch of simmering, salted water. Add the beets and chard stems; cover and cook until the beets are tender, about 12 minutes.
2. While the vegetables steam, crack the coriander seeds in a mortar with a pestle; set aside. Add the hazelnuts to the mortar and use the pestle to crack them into pieces; set aside.
3. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add hazelnuts and coriander seeds and toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook, tossing, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in steamed beets, chard stems and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.