Good evening! I hope you have had a good start to your week. Another amazing bunch of comments on this morning’s post. So many awesome thoughts, ideas, inspirations, and stories. Thank you for sharing!
My day has flown by and I got quite a bit crossed off the list. All day long I had to fight the urge to ditch all my work and go read, lol. However, I use the book as a ‘treat’ at the end of a work day. I am really looking forward to reading before bed tonight, cuddled up on the couch with Eric and Sketchie!
I also noticed an increase in my energy today after having such a relaxing and rejuvenating day yesterday. I decided this will have to become a Sunday tradition!
Speaking of energy…
It may be no secret that I did not enjoy beets until my 26th year when I started juicing with them. I learned to love the taste of beets in a juice and I have had a beet juice at least once a week for the past few months. It is simply delicious!
One thing I never got over was eating beets whole.
I still have bad memories of the canned beets my dad used to try to get me to eat at Thanksgiving. He would open the can and the beets would come out looking just like a can, complete with little ring imprints around this beet puree mold. Horrifying I tell you. If you have been there, you feel my pain. Ever since my childhood I have crossed beets off my ‘must learn to enjoy’ list. My dad still eats canned beets to this day and I always quietly chuckle to myself whenever we have a holiday meal together and I see the canned beets come out! To this day, he is the only person who dares to touch the canned beets. Bless his heart.
However, I now appreciate a couple things:
1) Canned beets are not the same as fresh beets
2) My tastes are growing and adapting over the years
These days, I have a desire to experiment more with my diet so I figured why not take the plunge and prepare some fresh beets? Who knows, I might actually enjoy them!
Beet, Apple, and Orange Salad in a Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette
Adapted from Vegetarian.about.com.
Ingredients:
- 3 fresh beets
- 1 orange, peeled and cut into segments
- 2 apples, sliced
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, for garnish
- Salad greens (spinach, romaine, etc.)
- Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette (see below)
- Shredded coconut, for garnish
- Fresh Raspberries, for garnish
Directions: Rinse beets and cut off ends. Toss beets in a medium sized pot filled half way with water. Turn burner heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes until beets are soft. While the beets are cooking, chop apple and peel and chop orange. Remove any seeds from orange. Remove beets from heat and drain. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, thinly slice the beets. Add the apple, orange, and beets to a medium sized bowl and mix. Make the Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette (see below) and then pour over this mixture mixing it very well. Serve over top your choice of greens and sprinkle with sunflower seeds, fresh raspberries, and coconut. Serves 2.
Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp vinegar (I used apple cider for the sweeter taste)
- 1 tbsp cold-pressed sunflower oil (or your choice of oil, EVOO works well)
- 7-8 fresh raspberries, mashed with fork
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Directions: Mix. [That was easy!]
I loved this homemade raspberry vinaigrette…so easy!
A gorgeous, bright and colourful summer salad appeared before my eyes…
I was just smitten by how beautiful it was. It was love at first sight.
…and love at first bite!
I actually surprised myself and I loved this beet salad! I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about eating cooked beets, but I loved them. They definitely exceeded my expectations.
The one thing I still haven’t gotten over is the smell of beets, specifically the smell of cooked beets, but I am sure I will get used to it over time. I think I need to slowly disentangle my bad memories of canned beets from the fresh ones.
Dessert was a new take on my Frosty No-Bake Glo Cakes!
I will be sharing the recipe with you tomorrow morning, so hang tight! They were deelish and frosty. Mmmm me oh my.
Eric is taking me out on a date tonight. He won’t tell me where we are going but he said to make sure I have air in my tires, my bike tires that is. haha. I’ll bring along the camera and show you some pictures tomorrow morning! Have a great night.
As others said you should try them roasted – they are so delicious that way. Plus you can saute the greens!
I have no recollection of this, but my mom always tells me I used to LOVE beets as a child; now, I won’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. Maybe I should give fresh beets a another shot though…
That salad looks delish by the way.
I wanted to let you know that my fave way to eat beets is (like a few other commenters) roasted. Soooo delicious!
this makes me really wish that i liked beets! they’re so vibrant and gorgeous, but i just can’t fall in love with the flavor no matter how hard i try!
I have to share with you my favorite raw beet recipe, because I NEVER IN MY LIFE thought I would eat a raw beet and fall in love.
chop scrubbed beets into matchsticks (I don’t peel mine – some people do)
toss them with roughly…
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
let them sit for a bit
eat them!! I often put them on salads, or add some other veggies & nuts into the mix and eat it as is.
yay, beets!
Wow so simple! I should try this :) thanks
I wish I could eat your food off my computer screen!
I love the colour of beets, but I’ve only tasted them once in a salad bar, and I’ve never touched them since. I don’t know if they were canned or what! I’m not the biggest fan of the taste, either.
Wei-Wei
I had the same aversion to beets! Not the same story, but all I knew was canned beets and YUCK! I actually didn’t start eating beets whole until I started a CSA 2 months ago…and i’m 29! Previously, I had them in juice, but that was it. The verdict? I LOVE BEETS!!! I had the best salad the other day with roasted beets, green beans, kidney beans and arugula. All served warm – to die for, I tell ya!
I LOVE beets! Can’t get enough of em. That salad looks delightful!
You will enjoy the last part of the book..
I also wanted to ask you about your cat..He is BEAUTIFUL.What kind of breed is he?
I know you said he has a bit of attitude, but he sure is PurrrRETTY..
He is a Bengal :)
I have never even heard of canned beets before but I’m not surprised it put you off! Anything looks gross that moulds to the shape of the can.
haha yea it looked like jello
We always had canned beets growing up, but I actually liked them. However, when I tried fresh beets from the Farmers Market a year ago, it was such a HUGE difference. They were so delicious…especially roasted, so much flavor! I love beet salad. I made one last week with goat cheese, roasted beets (With evoo, salt, pepper and rosemary) and toasted pecans (with maple syrup and cinnamon)…It was so tasty! I have some beets left and an orange and raspberries…I will have to try your combination tonight!
I cant wait to roast them!
I tried beets for the first time this past Sunday. Not too bad. I used fresh and roasted them. I wonder, though, if the dirty taste is normal or if there’s some way to get rid of that taste. I did wash mine…
That salad looks amazing and perfect for summer! Now if the sun ever shines again in the UK i will attempt to ‘borrow’ your recipe – it’s like a winters day here today!
I love beets! I have ever since I was little. I prefer them straight from the garden, just boiled and sliced with a little butter and salt (or coconut oil!)
I just happily harvested a fill colander of beets, and the next day I got a juicer for my birthday! I think I will take your advice and juice some of them. I am normally not a juicing fan, but I can’t see not using up the veggies I have and juicing is a good way to do it!
I’ll give it a shot. Have you had any problems with beets staining your juicer?
I dont find they stain the juicer, but they do STRAIN my Breville juicer (hehe)
Hi Angela,
I recently discovered your website and am really enjoying looking through your recipes! I have started to begin every day with a green monster and I love having this healthy start to the day! I also tried out your chickpea burger recipe, with a few substitutions (I didn’t have carrots or pumpkin seeds, and I added some chopped onions and a couple of different spices.) The burgers were tasty and I enjoyed being able to make a batch to bring to work this week.
I’m not a big fan of beets either, but I recently made a beet/apple salad in a olive-oil-lemon-juice vinaigrette which was a nice sweet and cool refreshing salad. I somehow find beets to be more appealing when I chop them into small cubes.
Thanks for your inspiring blog – I’m looking forward to trying more recipes!
Thank you for your nice comment!