Beets

[crockspot]

I picked up some beets at the store today. They were 2.99 a bunch, which I don't consider to be particularly cheap, but one of the bunches was three big fat ones, and it was probably twice the amount of beet meat as the other bunches, so I could not resist.

I go to the hospital three times a week for cardiac rehab, and I have been eating lunch in their "cafe" on those days. The food is actually pretty good, and very cheap. They had roasted beets on the menu one day, cut in half inch cubes. It was quite good, so I think I'll try to recreate that.

Did a little research on the web, and have decided on this method:

Peel beets and cut into half inch cubes.
Toss in a bowl with a bit of olive oil, a splash of vinegar (maybe balsamic to keep the sodium down), and black pepper.
Bake single layered in a foil lined baking pan, covered for 20 minutes at 375.
Uncover and bake another twenty minutes.

The checkout girl at the store also suggested that the greens are very good boiled, then buttered and splashed with vinegar. I have also heard of sauteing them in olive oil and garlic, and splashing with vinegar.

I'll be cooking these tomorrow, so I'll get back to y'all with the results.

[BEG]

When I was little my mom used to serve pickled beets for dinner frequently. I loved them as a child but haven't touched one since I was little. I should try them the way you described. Do let us know how they are after you make them.

[IassaFTots]

If fresh the greens are awesome.  Used to have em up in Maine, and still remember them from the last time I was there, in 98.  Cook em like you would fresh spinach or chard.

Roast the beets, and then peel em.  Cut em up, and a little vinegar goes a long way.  They are awesome with a little blue cheese sprinkled on top, if you dare.  And, 2.99 will get you a lot of beet.  Ya done good!

[crockspot]

If fresh the greens are awesome.  Used to have em up in Maine, and still remember them from the last time I was there, in 98.  Cook em like you would fresh spinach or chard.

Roast the beets, and then peel em.  Cut em up, and a little vinegar goes a long way.  They are awesome with a little blue cheese sprinkled on top, if you dare.  And, 2.99 will get you a lot of beet.  Ya done good!

Roasting whole then peeling seems to be the most common way, but I found a couple of recipes that were peeled and cubed before roasting, and that looked like how they were done at the hospital. The little cubes were individually carmelized, so they had to be cubed first.

[crockspot]

When I was little my mom used to serve pickled beets for dinner frequently. I loved them as a child but haven't touched one since I was little. I should try them the way you described. Do let us know how they are after you make them.

I love pickled beets, but I can't really eat them now because of the sodium content.

[debk]

I love pickled beets too. I didn't realize they had a high sodium content.  I like them sliced with sliced hard boiled egg, or slivered and put in with romaine, red onion, thawed but not recooked green peas, chopped hard boiled egg, and a light vinegrette.

[BEG]

I love pickled beets too. I didn't realize they had a high sodium content.  I like them sliced with sliced hard boiled egg, or slivered and put in with romaine, red onion, thawed but not recooked green peas, chopped hard boiled egg, and a light vinegrette.

That sounds really yummy.

[JLO]

Roasting whole then peeling seems to be the most common way, but I found a couple of recipes that were peeled and cubed before roasting, and that looked like how they were done at the hospital. The little cubes were individually carmelized, so they had to be cubed first.

Wow, that sounds good; I've never had them roasted.  How did they turn out? 

[vesta111]

I buy beets more for the greens then the bulb. 

I fry the cubes in evoo,  butter, garlic and onion. While they fry I steam the greens until well wilted.   Everything goes into a  crock pot with a cup of chicken broth, cubed potatoes, some carrots and 2 strips of bacon well chopped, raw.

Cook 6 hours, remove and chill for one day or two..  Remove the fat, Microwave and serve with malt vinegar.

This came to me VIA a friend that had been raised in the Ghettos of Detroit. She gave me a warning about cooking greens, they are very high in VIT. K so she and family over the age of 30 took a Bayer aspirin after the meal to keep the blood thin.

[IassaFTots]

I buy beets more for the greens then the bulb. 

I fry the cubes in evoo,  butter, garlic and onion. While they fry I steam the greens until well wilted.   Everything goes into a  crock pot with a cup of chicken broth, cubed potatoes, some carrots and 2 strips of bacon well chopped, raw.

Cook 6 hours, remove and chill for one day or two..  Remove the fat, Microwave and serve with malt vinegar.

This came to me VIA a friend that had been raised in the Ghettos of Detroit. She gave me a warning about cooking greens, they are very high in VIT. K so she and family over the age of 30 took a Bayer aspirin after the meal to keep the blood thin.

I have only had beet greens once, up in Maine visiting family and they were soooo good.  It is hard to get good fresh ones down here.  That recipe sounds just like what I had. 

[crockspot]

Normal vinegar has a very high sodium content. Balsamic vinegar has almost no sodium.

The beets turned out ok, nothing to write to the NY Times about, but edible. I spooned the leftovers into ziplocks and froze them, got about seven portions total.

[vesta111]

I have only had beet greens once, up in Maine visiting family and they were soooo good.  It is hard to get good fresh ones down here.  That recipe sounds just like what I had. 

Funny but for some reason I am thinking about the first time I ate Mustard greens. It was at a military cafeteria in VA.  few foods had been labeled and what I though was spinach was Mustard.  The beef in gravy turned out to be [ GASP] liver.

Took me a time or two to like those Greens and never for Liver--yuck.

Anyone ever heard of Waldorf Salad.?   Some kind of green that is cooked with a scrambled egg.  I had this at work from a woman I worked with in TENN.  YUMMMMMM.

Poke Salad was also very good, lots of greens do not grow in the North.  Once a year in the spring we do get Fiddle Head greens shipped in from the North West.

Grandma would harvest the young greens from Dandelions in the yard and serve with vinegar. I would love to do that but my neighbors spray chemicals on their lawns and I fear the wind may blow it over to poison my  so called weeds.?   Surprise--I found some for sale at the market last year but the leaves were way to big to be sweet.

Racheil Ray had a show where she cooked up radish greens, she also cooked up the radishes themselves, I tried it, not bad.

An Asian friend deep fries cumber slices, uses them in soup, interesting.

Has anyone experimented with Carrot Greens.?