The Beet Goes On

For the second week in a row we've gotten beets in our CSA share. Personally, I love beets, but I know that for some it is an acquired taste.

Here are 2 beet recipes to enjoy - one from a cookbook and one that KosherCook invented:

Carrot-Beet-Potato Toss
from The Kripalu Cookbook

1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced fresh beets
1 cup diced potatoes
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the carrots, beets, potatoes, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the salt. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. (Check occasionally to prevent burning.)

Drain the vegetables and toss with the butter before serving. Serve immediately.

We tried this with the suggested variation of adding Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and melted slightly. Yummy and very magenta! KosherCook served it with pan-seared salmon with dill sauce and steamed asparagus. A delicious Shavuot meal!

The second recipe is already a standard in our household. KosherCook invented it and I insisted it become part of the permanent collection. Sometimes in his quest to serve something new and different, my husband forgets that he can make a dish more than once. So if I really like one of his experiments, I have to explicitly insist that a) he writes down the ingredients and 2) makes it again someday.

Purple Passion Pasta
created by KosherCook (a.k.a. Chef-Boy-Harlee)

Whole Wheat Spaghetti
approx. 1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
1/4 Purple Cabbage cut coarsely
1.5 cup Red Beets cut in wedges
Red Onion diced
Frozen Edamame (Soybeans)
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Pat Butter
1 tbsp Red Horseradish
Morningstar Farms Vegetarian "Bacon"

Set pasta to boil as per directions on box. Add oil and butter to saute pan and heat. Add cabbage first to soften. Next add red onion and beets and continue sauteeing. When onions are softened, add horseradish, salt and pepper and mix. Cook "bacon" according to directions and crumble up into pan. Add edamame. Cook 10 minutes on medium heat then serve over pasta. Garnish with feta and serve.

Variation: add mushroom and/or radishes to sauteed vegetables.