Beets!

There were 4 beets in our CSA box last week, and I wasn't sure what to do with them!  I don't ever remember actually having beets before, so I didn't know what to expect.  I came across two side dishes that I made on two separate days this week, and both were pretty good!  I made a beet, arugula, and quinoa salad last week, and today, I made a Russian borscht beet soup with a recipe from my new cook book.  I think beets have a very strong and unique flavor, and while both dishes were tasty, they could only be eaten in small portions as side dishes because Vivek and I both would have gotten tired of the strong taste if we had eaten them as main dishes.

Beets are very nutritious as they are an excellent source of folate and have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  It was definitely fun to experiment with these different recipes using beets, but I'm not sure they are going to become a regular part of our diet.  

Recipe for Beet, Arugula, and Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 beetroots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp white sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 green onions, sliced
1 bunch arugula, chopped
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Steam the beetroots. 

2. Bring quinoa and 3/4 cup water to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

3. While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a bowl.

4. Remove quinoa from heat, then immediately add half of the vinegar dressing.  Reserve remaining dressing.  Cover and refrigerate quinoa until cool, at least 1 hour.

5. Stir green onions, arugula, goat cheese, beets, and remaining dressing into cooled quinoa mixture. Toss lightly before serving.

Recipe for Russian Borscht Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 beetroots, peeled and diced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, chopped coarsely
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped finely
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp low fat sour cream
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red chili pepper
salt and black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and onion and cook until soft.  Add the carrots, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Cover 1/4 of the beetroot with the vinegar and put aside.  Add the remaining beetroot to the saucepan.  Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add salt, pepper, and red chili pepper.  Add the reserved chopped beetroot and the liquid it was soaking in.  Simmer for an additional 40 minutes.

4. Garnish with low fat sour cream.