Bust Out The Beets: 3 Delicious Recipes To Help You Enjoy This Summer Vegetable!

Ah, Summer. It's a season that brings food to the masses, like burgers and salads. But what about vegetables? You know there are some tasty beets out there just waiting for you to eat them. With Summer comes colourful produce available at farmer's markets and grocery stores.

That means it's time to embrace beets — the sunshine colours of this vegetable are as vibrant as its variety of health-boosting properties. Beets can benefit your heart, help protect your DNA from oxidative damage, lower your blood pressure, and even help you sleep better. The best part? You can incorporate beets into a wide range of meals, including appetizers, entrees and desserts

The funny thing about beets — the flavour of this sweet-tasting root vegetable is actually a polarizing one. Some people love it and can't get enough of its earthy, yet sweet aftertaste, while others have found themselves squirming while they were eating beet salads and drinking beet juice. But don't let them scare you! Beets are here to stick around and they're making their case with these delicious, easy and healthy recipes.

Let's get started!

When the sun is beating down on you, it can be hard to think of anything other than a cold, delicious treat. But we’re here to tell you that there’s another way: beet juice!

Beet juice has been shown to help people with heart disease, and it may also help you fight off the summer heat. But don’t worry—you don’t have to drink it straight from the bottle (unless you want to). Instead, try these delicious beet-based recipes!

Dance to the Beet

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized beet,

10 strawberries

½ a red apple

1 handful of mint leaves or ginger to taste

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to the juicer and enjoy.

Summer is hot, and that's no joke. (We're talking about the temperature, not the humidity.)

So what are you going to do about it?

One thing we suggest is that you get cooking! And we're not just talking about your usual summer fare—we mean some seriously unexpected ingredients. Like beets. Yes, beets! When you think of this root vegetable, you probably think of something that's good for you (and you're right). But did you know that this humble veggie can also make a delicious addition to your summer slaw or salad? Let us put these beautiful roots to work!

Beet & Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

ROASTED BEETS

5 medium beets

splash of olive/avocado oil

VINAIGRETTE

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp dry mustard

Salt & pepper

SALAD

Roasted beets

1 cup cubed fresh strawberries

1 green onion (sliced)

1/2 cup crumbled goat, feta or Blue cheese

Instructions:

Roast the beets. Trim off the tops and bottoms of the beets, then cut them in half and place them in the centre of a sheet of tin foil, drizzle them with oil and wrap them up in the foil.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

VINAIGRETTE

Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients, and set aside.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Once the beets have been roasted, remove the beet skins then cut the beets into small cubes.

Then add the beets, strawberries and onions to a pretty serving bowl.

Toss with the vinaigrette.

Sprinkle it with the crumbled cheese of your choice and extra fresh ground pepper.

Serve right away and enjoy!

Beets. A vegetable that's been around since Egyptian times, but yet still deemed "weird" and unappealing by many a modern-day person. Whatever the case may be, this vegetable has been slowly inching its way into the hearts of Americans for decades, most recently being featured as one of the trendy ingredients in many a 2016 menu.

They're much more than just something to put on a salad or pair with chocolate like a fine wine. Don't believe me? Is a beet dessert even possible? Let's find out.

Chocolate Chunk Beet Ice Cream

Prep Time10 minutes

Total Time2 hours 10 minutes

Servings4 servings

Ingredients:

18 oz cooked beets

1 cup thick coconut milk (full fat)

1/4 cup agave

1 piece of ginger (about 0.8 inches long)

3 tablespoons chopped dark chocolate

Directions:

Put the cooked beets, the coconut milk, the agave, and the ginger in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Ice Cream Machine (recommended): Put the beet coconut mixture in your ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stir in the chocolate chunks and place the ice cream in a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours in your freezer. Thaw for 5-10 minutes and scoop with an ice cream scoop.

No Machine/No Churn: Put the beet coconut mixture in a freezer-safe container, stir in the chocolate chunks and freeze for about 4 hours, whisking slightly every 20-30 minutes to avoid it getting too icy. Thaw for 5-10 minutes and scoop with an ice cream scoop.

Beets are a surprising ingredient in salads and ice cream, but that doesn’t make them any less delicious. Not only can beet veggies help you reduce the summer heat, they can also give your body an immune boost to fight off any nasty infections that might creep up on you.

As heartfelt and delicious as these recipes may be, the overall conclusion is that beets are underrated. Because they are often relegated to sides or salads, people don’t give them a chance to show off how versatile they can be in the kitchen. People should be more open-minded when it comes to vegetables.

Beets are one of the best ways to beat the heat this summer. Whether you're looking for a new way to eat healthier and fresher, or just want to cool down with something sweet, beet recipes are great choices. You can use beets in both savoury and sweet recipes, which makes them a perfect addition to your summer cooking repertoire.

So if you're looking for a way to bring some flavour to summer's fare, give some of these recipes a try. You just might surprise yourself with something completely new and delicious. Whether you're hosting a summer gathering or simply looking to add new and interesting recipes to your repertoire, these four beet-based dishes are bound to leave your guests satisfied.

The key to having a successful summer meal is trying something new and I get really drawn in by the idea of fresh, seasonal produce. Read on my blog about Fitness Recipes - Enjoy Delicious and Healthy Meals this Summer.

Join the health revolution and become fearless in the kitchen with a variety of healthy and delicious recipes from our recipe collection. Learn about the Working GIrl’s guide to staying in shape this Summer, a collection of healthy recipes designed to educate, inspire and empower you.

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