Beets! Give them a chance

There hasn't been much activity on the blog, because I have been busy with some super top secret projects. Top secret because they are for a baby shower I am planning for my good friend and karaoke co-president. And also because they could completely crash and burn. We'll see!

In the meantime, I will spread the gospel. Of BEETS! Poor lovely yet maligned beets. No one wants to eat them because they associate them with those gross smooshy canned beets we had as kids, before the golden days of eating everything fresh and local. But beets are really delicious. and nutritious. But more importantly, delicious. They just need new marketing. Like, "Beets. The Candy Potato." Because that's basically what they are. And who doesn't love candy or potatoes?

Here's a pic of this week's farm share:

Beets, baby bok choy, swiss chard, snap peas, summer squash, zucchini, cucumber, raspberries

My CSA share buddy is off banging drums in Senegal, so I gave some of the goods to my co-workers. I made a tasty omelette with the swiss chard, and then I was left with the beets, zuke, and snap peas. I knew I could do a stir fry with the zucchini and snap peas, but could I make an Asian-y beet salad with the beets and beet greens? A search of my favorite recipe databases was not very helpful. So this is what I eventually came up with.

Orange "Asian Sauce" Beets
Bunch 'o Beets
Bunch o' Beet greens
1 orange
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp juice from the orange
2 tbsp olive oil or other salad oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
sprinkle of sesame seeds
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp ginger - I didn't actually have any, but if I did I would have thrown it in. Also chopped green onions.

Trim the beets but don't peel them. Give them a scrub, then wrap them in tin foil. Roast the beets in a pre-heated oven at 450 for 45 minutes. My beets were relatively small, so it didn't take long. I also put it at high heat because I was hungry and wanted them to cook fast! I think in general, most recipes are around 400 for an hour and a half. But this worked for me this time.

While the beets are roasting, wash and chop the beet greens. Bring water to a boil and add the beet greens for about 2 minutes. The greens should be soft, but not too overcooked. Drain and run under cold water for a few minutes (or blanch them in a bowl of cold water if you're fancy like that).

Peel and section the orange. Squeeze out about 1-2 tbsps of juice and whisk together the "Asian sauce" ingredients. I call it "Asian sauce" not to be insensitive to the fact that there are several different countries, cultures, and cuisines which make up the continent of Asia, but because when I want a little Asian flavor, I basically use the same ingredients in varying proportions - soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame, garlic, ginger, green onion. My mom is the same way. I will ask her for a recipe for anything - bulgogi, chicken wings, apple pie - and she always uses the same ingredients. Ok, maybe not for the apple pie.

Anyway, for this recipe, I added some orange juice to the dressing to complement the oranges in the salad. I also added a little extra olive oil to cut the acidity and because I find sesame oil to be a little too strong sometimes. Bad Asian, I am!

Take out your beets and let them cool. Run them under water and the skins should rub off easily. If they don't, they may need to go in for a little longer. Toss everything together and enjoy your Asian beets! Hey, and don't you feel good about yourself that you ate the whole vegetable, from root to leafy stem?

Beets hot out of the oven

Orange Asian Sauce Beets

I enjoyed these beets with my house guest Charles. Charles is Puppy's new favorite person. Here he is, having sneaked into Charles' room one morning before we left for work. aww.

Puppy loves me no more

But it's ok because Charles got me sneak preview tickets to see Harry Potter 7.2 last night and IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!