I used to hate beets until about a year ago when I forced myself to have a beet fresca drink everyday until I decided that I liked beets. Beets are too healthy and versatile to not enjoy. I persevered and now I love beets.

I had 3 beautiful beets in my fridge that were waiting to be loved on. A big Chioggia beet (the one with a pink and white circle pattern), a large red beet, and a Golden one. I pulled them out of my fridge and stared at them just long enough to get a few ideas: beet and sweet potato patties, roasted beets and quinoa, and German inspired beet Sauerkraut wraps.

Each beet dish was ridiculously good. Very fresh and easy to make as well. We ate them for dinner with different sides and are still reinventing the leftovers.

Beet and Japanese sweet potato patties

Ingredients: 1 red beet, 1/2 Japanese sweet potato, 1/2 can of garbanzo beans, 1/2 white onion diced, 1/2 cup of instant oatmeal, 3 tablespoons of milled flax seed, 1/2 cup of organic corn masa flour (whole wheat or almond flour works too), 1 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/2 cumin, 1 tsp tarragon, salt to taste or 1/2 tspn, chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tsp chili powder, a few shakes of crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 valentina (optional), 1/3 cup h20–beer–or wine

Procedure: Preheat oven to 365. Shave the sweet potato and beet into a large bowl. (Place a 1/2 cup of shaving aside if going to make the sweet beet side dish.) Add all other ingredients except garbanzo beans. Mix, mash, massage–what have you until the contents are thoroughly integrated. The patty mix should conglomerate tightly and be sticky when forming the patties. If the consistency is too wet, add more corn masa and a little more oatmeal. If it’s too dry add a little more liquid. When consistency is right, add garbanzo beans and mix in. Form patties and place on parchment paper. Bake for 35~45 minutes. They should be slightly crusty on the outside and tender in the middle when done

Roasted beets and quinoa

Ingredients: Golden beet, and Chioggia beet. Quinoa, carrots, celery, cilantro, purple cabbage, green onions, cracked pepper, coconut vinegar, mexican oregano, cayenne, dash honey.

Procedure: Preheat over for 350. Slice beets, place on pan with 1/2 inch water, sprinkle tarragon, and bake for 20~30 minutes or until tender. For the quinoa: make any of your favorite quinoa dishes. I used the ingredients above and made a large amount to reuse through the week.

The next day we got home from work and Mark was starving. I grabbed a leftover beet patty, toasted a tortilla, spread whole grain mustard on it, wrapped it up and threw it at him just before he turned into a bear. It was SO GOOD and he said it tasted like a German sausage wrap….this inspired me, so for dinner last night I made a gourmet faux German wraps. So healthy and bursting with flavor.

Faux German Sausage wrap

Ingredients: Leftover roasted beets (or a beet patty), chard leaves, whole wheat tortilla, wholegrain mustard, leftover quiona, caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and sriracha!

Procedure: Heat up the patty or roasted beets, toast the tortilla, caramelize onions (slice onions and place in hot pan with nothing else…stir around..when they begin to brown, add a little water…repeat for 5 minutes) and begin to assemble the wrap.

Assembly: Tortilla, mustard, chard leaves, beets, quinoa, sauerkraut, caramelized onions,  sriracha. YUM!!

Please try these! Message me if you have any questions.