The Beet Revolution

Ok, so maybe I'm not changing lives here but I am really excited that beets are back at the market. I've never experimented with them much but a friend brought a beet salad similar to the one below to a dinner party recently and they were just so pretty that I went out and bought a huge bundle of them from Houston Farm. These things were absolutely gorgeous even before cutting them open:

All of that was just $3!

So what does one do with beets? The two things I'm most familiar with is salad, where the beets can really stand on their own, or roasting them as a side dish. Here are the two recipes I've used most recently.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad (v)
3 medium beets, trimmed, cleaned and cut in quarters
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup mint, chopped
3-4 tablespoons pine nuts (optional)
Salt to taste

1. Put the quartered beets in a large saucepan and cover with water.
2. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until a knife cuts easily. Remove and put in a large bowl in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
3. Combine goat cheese, mint and pine nuts. 
4. Cut the beets into 1/2 inch pieces and add to cheese mixture. Mix well (helpful to use your hands).

Doesn't look amazing in pictures but this is a beautiful salad!

Roasted Beets (V)
3 medium beets, trimmed, cleaned and cut in 3/4 inch pieces
Olive oil for coating beats
Thyme (or other herb of choice) and sea salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees  and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss the beets, olive oil, and thyme in a bowl until beets are coated, and arrange pieces of beet on baking sheet so that they don't touch. Sprinkle the beets with sea salt.
3. Roast in the preheated oven until the beets are tender, 10 to 20 minutes. A fork inserted into a beet cube should come out easily.

I served my roasted beets with a slice of my tofu quiche. Delicious!