Are you a beet lover?
If you are, then you already know how delicious they can be and….. how much nutrition they provide. If you have not previously been a fan of beets then…. I’m hoping this post might help persuade you to give beets a second chance.
If you couldn’t tell…… I am a beet lover. I have eaten beets since I can remember. I was that weird kid that actually liked them. We always had a jar of red pickled beets in our house growing up. My grandmother would can a batch each year and they beat the heck out of those store bought beets that were loaded with added sugar.
Red Beets are very familiar to me, but it wasn’t until last year that I was introduced to golden beets. I didn’t even know that beets could be anything but red. About a year ago I found some golden beets in the produce section at Earth Fare and decided to try them. When I came home I did a Google search on “golden beets” so that I could learn more about them. Turns out….. golden beets are pretty much the same as the red variety minus the pink juice that stains everything. (Huge plus) Golden beets are a bit milder than red ones and when roasted….they are a so wonderfully sweet. Golden beets are now…… my beet of choice!
A Few Beet Facts:
- Did you know that beets are the second largest source of sugar after sugar cane?
- Beets are high in vitamins and minerals. Loaded with potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron: Vitamin’s A, B and C, beta-cyanine, Folic acid.
- Beets help the body cleanse itself. Good for the liver and they work as a purifier for the blood and can help prevent various forms of cancer.
- Helps improve mental health. Beets contain betaine….a substance used in some treatments for depression and tryptophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well being….sort of like chocolate.
- Beets are a high source of energy. They are low in calories and high in sugar. (In a good way….. their sugar is released into your body slowly as opposed to sugar that comes from high fructose corn syrup.)
- And lastly……Beets were used by ancient Romans as an aphrodisiac. Yep…… That’s right. Science has proven that beets contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones. That’s a good enough reason to give them a try right there. 🙂
Beet facts were found at http://www.fullcircle.com/goodfoodlife/2012/05/10/6-health-benefits-of-eating-beets/
Here is my recipe for pickled golden beets. These beets are yummy, have minimal sugar and are loaded with health benefits. I use these pickled beets on top of some arugula, sprinkled with goat cheese, a nice drizzle of red wine vinaigrette….. makes for a delicious lunch. We also have them as a side to a grass fed burger or a Panini or…… straight out of the jar at 10:00pm….. my version of a night time snack.
| Pickled Golden Beets | Print |
- 4-5 medium to large organic golden beets, greens removed and washed well
- 2 small organic Vidalia onions, cut in half and sliced very thin
- 1 Tbsp. of Real Salt or sea salt
- ¾ cup of apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup of white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup of organic pure cane sugar
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. of mustard seed
- 1 tsp. of dill weed
- ½ tsp. of crushed red pepper
- 3-4 pint size mason or ball jars
- Remove greens from beets and wash well. Wrap each beet in a piece of foil.
- Peel and slice onion and place slices into a bowl. Sprinkle salt over onion and toss to coat all pieces.
- Put salted onion slices into a colander and place colander over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 3-4 hours.
- After 3-4 hours, remove and rinse salt from onion slices and let drain. Set aside.
- Place foil wrapped beets into a shallow baking dish and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 425 degrees. Check with a fork to make sure beets are completely done.
- Once done, remove tin foil from beets and let cool.
- When beets have cooled enough, use a small paring knife to peel the tough skins away.
- Cut beets into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Layer onions and beets into the jars. (I used 3 jars, but you may need 4 depending on the size of your beets)
- In a small sauce pan add the vinegars, sugar, garlic, mustard seed, dill and red pepper.
- Heat over medium heat and stir to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 5-8 minutes.
- Pour vinegar mixture into the jars over the beets and onions. Seal and let cool completely before placing in the refrigerator.
- Pickled beets may be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
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