So, I’m still on my detox diet. And struggling. But that is another story.
The story I’m here to tell you today is about my new favorite vegetable: beets! Today, I made beets, beet greens, and quinoa. Yum!! I bought organic beets with the tops (greens) still on. I chopped off the greens, scrubbed the beets, and roasted them as per this recipe (see the very bottom of the page: ROASTED ROSEMARY BEETS). But what to do with those greens? I knew they were good for something. Sure enough, I found this recipe, but it was not vegan, and it also had refined sugar in it. (FWIW: SimplyRecipes.com is quickly becoming one of my favorite recipe sites.) I adapted this tangy and tasty vegetable side dish, and and here it is:Beet Greens
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound beet greens and stems
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (less if you don’t like garlic – I love it!)
- 3-4 tablespoons of water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown rice syrup (you can use honey or regular sugar too, just reduce the amount slightly if using sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
Method
- Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Chop stems into 1-inch pieces and separate from greens.
- In a large skillet heat oil on medium heat. Add onions. Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes, then add stems only. Cook onions and stems over medium heat another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan and to mix thoroughly with onions, garlic, and stems. Stir in brown rice syrup and red pepper flakes. Bring mixture to a boil.
- Add the beet greens and gently toss them in the onion mixture so the they are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the greens are tender.
- Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice.
Serves 2.