Beets are one of those vegetables that seem to bring up strong feelings in people. You either love em…or you don’t. Like all good vegetables, beets seem to be making a come-back. They are being used in salads, roasted as a side dish, in soups, pickled, even in smoothies! People can’t get enough of beets! 😉
Cooking beets
People sometimes hesitate to cook beets, due to the mess and staining. Roasting them, is one way to avoid some of that. Wrapping them in tin foil, then removing the skin after they have cooled is one way, or peeling and cubing also makes a quick and easy way to prepare these amazing vegetables.
Roasted Beet Salad with Feta
Once roasted, they are delicious as a side dish with your main course and especially good on a salad. Roasted beet salad with feta is delicious with its combination of salty feta cheese and toasted walnuts. A few simple ingredients, and you have a beautiful salad ready to serve. Some vegetables are just so beautiful, and beets are certainly one.
- 8 roasted beets, sliced or cubed
- 1 chopped green onion or chives
- 4 oz mesclun greens, washed and dried
- ⅓ cup toasted walnuts, pecans or almonds
- 4 oz feta cheese in small chunks
- Dressing
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup good quality olive oil
- 2 t Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
- To roast beets, wash medium sized beets and toss with oil
- Wrap in foil or place on a small baking pan.
- Roast at medium heat until tender.
- Remove skins and cool.
- Lay the greens on a plate and top with beets.
- Sprinkle green onions, nuts and feta on top.
- Drizzle with some of the following dressing just before serving.
Beets are not only beautiful and delicious, but they are also good for you! Beets are a great source of vitamins and minerals and are known for their health benefits, including their ability to lower blood pressure and improve digestion and brain health. Pass the beets! 🙂
You can watch Elspeth and I in our Facebook Live video chat about growing, prepping and cooking beets.
Plant to plate with Wile’s Lake Farm Market talking all about beets!
Posted by Simple Local Life on Thursday, August 30, 2018
Do you cook beets at home? Make any pickled beets? Leave a comment and let us know how you prepare these seasonal treats.
*Plant to Plate is sponsored by Wile’s Lake Farm Market located in Wileville, Nova Scotia. They currently sell beets at the market from Sawlor Farm in Windsor. Their knowledgeable staff is always available to answer any questions you may have.
I usually cook beets in my 1960’s pressure cooker with great success. Although we have a couple of legendary family stories about beet explosions while pressure cooking, I’ve managed to avoid red ceilings so far. I’m going to try Elspeth’s 2-tier roasting method which sounds delicious.
I sometimes have them hot with a sprinkle of feta and toasted sunflower seeds, and like using them grated for borscht which can then be frozen in small serving sizes.
That recipe idea sounds delicious…thanks for sharing Penny. 🙂
I love beets! And recently I found out I could ferment them! So much easier and healthier (and yummier) than pickling. Just slice raw and place in a mason jar, cover with a salt brine (1 tbs salt in 2 cups of water) and add in seasoning (garlic or rosemary or cumin/turmeric etc). Weigh down beets to keep in brine for a week or so. Test to desired tanginess. Remove scum and brown beets and there you go! Yum!
Thanks for sharing Kristen…I may have to try this sometime! 🙂
I love beets! I make a beet, cranberry & feta salad using a good apple cider vinegar, olive oil, honey and dijon, delish! I also make a toasted open faced roasted beet & feta/goat cheese sandwich with spinach and drizzled with honey, (if you use yellow beets, it looks so pretty too!)