Beet It!

I have had a lifelong love of beets/beetroot/whatever you want to call it.  As a kid I asked for them all the time - the canned ones, can you imagine?  I had no idea what the fresh ones were like.  My sister Angie thinks they taste like dirt, but since I was always eating mud pies anyway I guess my taste buds were primed!

Every Friday in the spring/summer there's a Farmer's Market in Kinvara.  First stall on the left is Anna Nolan, who we call the vegetable lady.  She's actually there year-round with seasonal fruit and veg.  This time of year she has fresh beets coming in.  She even saves me some of the better green tops cuz she knows I love those too!

As much as I love beets, I get bored with eating them the same way, so out comes my inner kitchen witch and I get to experimenting again.  My latest?  Peel and thinly slice beetroot, then place in a glass cooking dish.  Throw in some balsamic vinegar, a bit of red wine, cover with foil and bake at 180C/350F until you can pierce them with a fork.  If you don't want to use wine, I would try a juice like cranberry, pomegranate, or cherry.  We had them as a side with dinner one night, and next day I mixed the leftovers with a spoon of Greek yogurt - just as yummy as the night before!  Good thing my kids weren't home.  I can pretty much imagine their comments on some of the weird shit I eat.

One of the first things I learned in my Iridology studies were the health tendencies of the 3 major iris colours - brown, blue and mixed.  Brown irises are prone to blood and liver disorders and impurities. Beets are a rich source of the phytonutrient betalain, which is essential for phase 2 liver detoxification support. I am a firm believer in listening to the signals your body sends you, which includes cravings. Even if you're craving junk it will tell you something about what's going on.  I know I've kind of jumped around with my thoughts but I guess it comes down to this:  your body will tell you what it needs, like me with the beets.  And I am here to help interpret those signals when they get a bit fuzzy or when things go haywire.

I haven't been successful yet with getting the boys to eat beets, but they will drink beet juice (mixed with other juices, even beet juice kinda tastes like dirt).  Especially since I told them that beets will make the toilet water turn pink when they go for a poo.  I'm learning to speak boy.  Special treat? Vampire ice lollies (popsicles)!  Mix orange, apple, pomegranate and beet juice and pour into molds, let freeze overnight.

Any of you have beet recipes you'd like to share?