The Versatile Beet
Red beets, yellow, white and striped beets too!
Colorful, flavorful and nutritious.

Beets have long been a favorite of mine although I don't take the time to prepare and eat them as often as I should. Of course, growing up I had exposure to basically only the red beet that we typically associate with beets. Only recently have I learned that beets actually come in a variety of colors such as white and yellow as well as varying shades of red. There is even a beet that grows with white and red concentric rings.

Many people eat only the root portion of the beet. However, beet greens are especially rich in vitamin A. They can be cooked, like spinach, or eaten as a salad ingredient. If you are storing your beets in the refrigerator you can separate the greens from the root, which will keep more moisture in the root part itself. Cut the greens so that you leave about half an inch of green stalk on the top of the root. That also helps keep the root color stable until you use it.

Beets contain an abundance of iron, potassium, magnesium and folate. The greens also contain a good supply of vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamin B6. While a little lean on protein, beets still have the nutritional value to provide from 4% to as much as 18% of the various nutrients mentioned above.

There are many ways to prepare beets. As mentioned previously, the greens can be used raw in salads or cooked like spinach. The beet root can be eaten raw as well. It usually has a sweet,earthy flavor. Raw or cooked, beets are great as a topping for a salad, sauteed, pickled, boiled or baked. They can simply be steamed or roasted as well. In fact, roasting beets with olive oil or grapeseed oil and rosemary make for a delicious dish. There are almost too many ways to prepare beets to mention in one article! They pair up well with so many other foods that you can think about ways to use them with tangy fruits like pineapple or oranges. You can include them in salads with a healthy dose of chopped walnuts. You can use the gold or yellow variety in dishes where you may not want the color to be too dominant but still as flavorful. They even pair up well with asparagus.

When cooking beets to remove or "slip" the skins or outer peel, prepare the beets by removing all but about half an inch of the greens stalk. Again, this keeps some of the rich color from leeching out. Bring the beets to a boil then simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes. When the beets are just cool enough to handle the peel will come off fairly easily. You might want to wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.

For more interesting facts about beets and a wonderful French Baked Beet recipe from our friends at the AICR CLICK HERE.