mango&lime — a blog about food and eating in miami

Lately I’ve been into beets. I know. It’s odd. Beets are not the most popular vegetable out there. Of my mom’s five siblings, she is the only one who will actually eat them. Her siblings cite school lunch memories of white rice stained by beet juice as one of the reasons why they can’t stand though. If you like them, though, beets are sweet.

This afternoon I picked up a few at Publix and made a quick salad my mom makes at home. The recipe is from a book called La Dieta de Matusalen (Methuselah’s Diet) — a book about healthy eating. I believe this recipe has cleansing properties or something like that, but that’s not exactly why I like it. The salad makes a refreshing, healthy — and bright — mid-afternoon snack. Below is the original recipe. I made some variations, which I describe in the notes section.

Grated beet salad

- 2 large beets, peeled and grated
- 3 limes, juiced
- 4 tbspoons honey
- 1 tspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup Brazil nuts, peeled and chopped*
- Cumin, a dash

Preparation

Dissolve the honey and salt in the lime juice. Mix in the grated beets. Top with nuts and cumin.

Cook’s Notes

* I substituted the Brazil nuts with pine nuts.

Grating the beets can be messy especially if you have a white counter like me. I set paper towels on it to avoid stains. Wearing white clothing, also not a good idea. Beets also can also stain your hands so you may want to use plastic gloves.

Make sure to try the dressing before you add it to the beets. The dressing is very acidic — which I like but some may not — and the recipe yields a lot. For next time, I would adjust the flavors a little by using a little less lime juice or a little more honey so the acidity doesn’t overpower the beet’s flavor.

Other beet ideas

* Roast ‘em beets: Place beets with olive oil, salt, pepper in a baking pan. Add 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water at the bottom of the pan and cover the pan with foil. Place in a 375 degree oven until tender. Peel, slice, sprinkle more salt if needed. You can also roast them like a baked potato, place in the oven wrapped in foil.

* Up beet your salads: Add cooked beets to salads for extra sweetness. Beets pair incredibly well with pungent cheeses and nuts. I recently ate a delicious beet and aurugula salad with red onions, caramelized walnuts and a balsamic glaze. You can also pair it with blue cheese or just add it to your regular greens and tomato salads.

* Pickled beets: If you like pickled foods … Here’s a recipe for pickled beets.

tags: beets, beet salad