What to do with fresh beets and turnips?
Posted by Anonymous on Jun 02, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
I went to the Phoenix Farmer's Market today (was kind of disappointed at the selection, but we went late, so everything was likely picked over--we'll try next Saturday). We did find some really yummy looking turnips and beets. I bought them because they looked so pretty and delicious and then realized that I don't know what to do with them--I've never cooked turnips or beets! Any suggestions? The chocolate beet cake mentioned in a different post sounds good, but I bake enough sweets, so I would prefer something for a lunch/dinner.
Never tried this...but I saw it.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7758.0
Being part Danish, I was raised with mashed turnips slathered with...well, margarine...and salt and pepper. I like them just as is. Or you can add them to a Winter Vegetable Soup like this one http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=13443.0
My grandmother used to roast turnips in the ashes of her Franklin-type stove and eat them hot with butter...well, ok, margarine. They were awfully good!
I like to cook beets & add to green leafy salads. This is my favorite: Spinach, Romaine, beets, toasted pecans, garbanzo beans, 1000 Island Dressing. Yum!
For salads, I like the beets very soft, so slice very thin or they will take forever to cook. If you have a pressure cooker, use it. Vegan with a Vengenance has a great recipe where you cook the beets in orange juice. They are very good this way!
Beets are such a lovely color!
Thanks, everyone! I've got quite a few beets and turnips, so I'll be able to try all of these suggestions!
ive been looking for this recipe, but i havent had any luck. its pretty simple. its just mashed potatoes and beets baked. i like to add in spinach and garlic, the first time i had it the cook added mushrooms.
make mashed potatoes however you like it
pour into casserole dish
if you want spinach, put some on top of the mashed potatoes
slice the beets and lay these on top of the potatoes and spinach
if you want mushrooms, put some on top of the beets
sprinkle salt and pepper and whatever spices you like and bake until the beets are tender. id probably bake it at 300-350, but im not an expert baker!
I make a beet salad like traditional carrot-raisin salad:
Peel and shred raw beets (wear gloves if you don't want red hands)
Mix with a little vegan mayonnaise to moisten, or with an oil and vinegar mixture
Add a pinch each cloves and cinnamon (a dash of sugar if you like, it's optional)
Raisins
Walnuts
It's yummy! 8)
Chop them both into little pieces and microwave for about 3 minutes, then add them to your salads.
They are both great with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Just DON'T do what I did: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=16784.0 ;D
I'm not a big fan of beets but once in a great while we'll get some. My favorite way to cook them (well, actually the only way I've done it) is to boil them for about 10 minutes, then cool and slice them. Spray both sides with a little olive oil and grill them on my countertop grill. They really are pretty tasty that way.
And of course there is the ubiquitous Harvard beet with vinegar, sugar and cloves, thickened slightly with cornstarch.
What Harvard has to do with it I've no idea....
If you have a juicer and one of each, leftover from all these delicious sugestions. ;)
Juice them! :)
add:
1/2 red delicious apple
5 carrots
1/2 lemon
1/2 inch of ginger root.
Makes a great energy drink in the morning.yumm...
mmmmm borsch.... make that for sure out of your beets, I'm sure there's a recipe on here and it's so yummy!
Plain Jane beet greens and beetroot:
Cut the greens from the globe, LEAVING ABOUT 1 INCH OF GREEN STEM ON THE GLOBE!!! If you cut into the globe at all, the flavor will drain out when you cook them.
Reserve your greens by washing them in a little bit of white vinegar with water which will help keep them crisp. Gently boil your beetroots in enough water to cover. When they are tender, take them off the heat and run cold water over them to cool them off. When you can handle them, slip the hides off of them. If they are cooked through, the skins should practically rub off.
Using a combination of Earth Balance and EVOO in a skillet, dice your cooked beetroot into the hot oils and saute briefly. A little color is fine, but don't burn the poor things. Take your washed greens pile them up sort of. You are going to take a sharp knife or the kitchen shears and make 1/4-inch wide ribbons of greens and toss over the root. Saute just until the greens are wilted. Sprinkle with seasalt and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!
There is nothing there, but the flavor of fresh, earthy beets. You can dress them up a lot of ways, glaze them, pickle them, make chutney...but to me plain, straight up is the very very best.
When I buy veggies and have much more than I'm going to use, I put the amount I definitely know I"m not going to use in my food processor and chop them until they are finely chopped. Then, I freeze them. I usually have a lot of odds and ends veggies at the end of their natural lifespan when I do this. When the veggies thaw they aren't crisp, which is why I chop them so small - it's not as obvious. Then, I add them to soup because in soup they naturally soften a bit anyway. It's a near effort free way to add nutrients to soup. I usually have legumes (because they're quick to cook), a grain, and the veggies with a bit of broth and fresh mint leaves. The mint thing is left over from a passionate love affair I had with pho a few years back. The other thing I've done is simmer the chopped veggies and used them to help create a broth.