Easy, No-Mess Beets In Your Instant Pot

Simple Beets Salad with Balsamic and Scallions.

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Beets - Delicious but Messy
I love beets. When dining out, I almost always order a beet salad if it's on the menu. But I don't often make them at home because they are a mess to handle. But this morning with a single rubber glove, my Instant Pot and a butter knife I made this easy beet salad wearing a white blouse! I don't suggest the white blouse, but here's what I did.

Instant Pot Beets
I started with small to medium sized beets - about 2 inches in diameter.

I rinsed them in a colander.

Holding them by the tails, I cut the tops to remove what was left of the stem.

I tossed them into my Instant Pot with an inch of water. I pressed the Manual button and set for 20 minutes. They take a surprisingly long time to cook. (You may want to start with 10 to 15 minutes and test them and if they aren't cooked, set them for another 5 or 10 minutes.) Do a quick release and test them with a fork. Once you can pierce them (not easily, but firmly), they are done. Drain the beets in the colander. 

Put a rubber glove on your left hand, if you are right handed. This is the only time you will have to barely touch the cooked beet. Place the beets on a cutting board. Holding the beet with your gloved hand, take a butter knife with your right hand and carefully scrape off the skin.

Slice the beets and place into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste. Mix to coat and top with thinly sliced scallions and serve or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Raw Beet And Kale Salad A Delicious Way To Detox!Vegan And Vegetarian Options

Raw beets and beet greens are mixed with raw kale
in this simple and delicious gluten-free salad.

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Beets Aid Detoxification
If you are looking for a spring cleanse, adding raw beets to your diet is the way to go. The body rids itself of toxins in a two-step process - Phase I detoxification and Phase II detoxification. Beets contain betalain pigments which support our body's Phase II detoxification operation. In this process, toxins are hooked up to other molecules, neutralized, and excreted from the body. Betalains lose their potency when cooked for long periods of time so they are most effective when eaten raw, steamed for 15 minutes or less, or roasted for less than one hour. Beets are also known to purify the blood.

Other Benefits of Beets
The phytonutrients in beets also reduce inflammation by inhibiting the activity of COX-1 and COX-2 inflammation-triggering enzymes. Beets also provide strong anti-oxidant support, especially for eyes health and nerve tissue.

1 cup of raw beets is only 58.5 calories and provides:
4 g dietary fiber
2 g protein
13 g carbohydrates
34% daily requirement (DV) of folate
22% DV of manganese
13% DV of potassium
11% DV of vitamin C

Don't Forget the Greens
Beet greens are very delicious and can be used like Swiss chard or spinach. They are particularly rich in carotenoids, like beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin, critical for eye health.

Kale Also Aids Detoxification
Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale help our body detox at the cellular level supporting both Phase I and Phase II detoxification. Phase II detoxification also requires sulfur and kale is extremely rich in sulfur compounds. 

Together, beets and kale can play a powerful role in protecting our bodies from environmental toxins.

Beets and kale are a detoxifying combination!

Inspired by Chef Esteban's Kitchen
Chef Esteban, from the Vineyards Inn in Kenwood, California, makes a kale salad that inspired me to make this dish. His version is vegetarian, with cooked egg white chopped so fine over the dish that I thought it was grated cheese. In my vegan version of the dish, I omit the egg but add the pressed garlic and a touch of creamy mayo and vinegar to achieve the flavor of his recipe. I'll also present a vegetarian version too which includes the hardboiled, pasture-raised egg.

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Raw Beet and Kale Salad
Mostly Raw, Gluten Free, Vegan or Vegetarian Options

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or hemp oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 pound raw kale, stems removed and thinly sliced (4 cups) 
Beet greens from 2 medium beets, stems removed and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 clove pressed garlic, or more 
1 tablespoon Vegenaise or mayonnaise
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 hard-boiled pasture-raised egg  (optional)
2 medium beets, peeled and grated (2 cups)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, oil, and salt until well combined.

Add the kale and beet greens and mix well until they are completely coated with the dressing. (I like to massage the lemon and oil into the greens with my hands.) Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes. This will tenderize the greens.

Marinate the kale and beet greens in lemon, oil and salt.

In a cup or small bowl, mix the garlic, mayonnaise, and vinegar. If you are making the vegetarian version, mash the cooked egg yolk into the dressing. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water, or more as needed. Set aside.

Add the grated beets to the marinated greens. Add the creamy dressing and black pepper and toss well. 

If making the vegetarian version, top with finely chopped egg white and serve.

Inspired by Chef Esteban's Kale Salad at the Vineyards Inn.

Per serving (vegan version using olive oil and without egg): 74 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 95 mg omega-3 and 237 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 444 mg sodium.

Per serving (vegetarian version using olive oil and including egg): 87 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 101 mg omega-3 and 336 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 35 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 454 mg sodium.

Roasted Beet Salad With Oranges And Pecans In An Orange Vinaigrette Dressing

Beets and Oranges - A marriage that was meant to last!

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Just Natural Together
There are few flavors that blend together quite as well as beets and oranges! I still have some winter beets in my garden which probably should have been eaten already so I picked a few of those. And the oranges are just ripening on the tree so I plucked a few of them too. I used 1/2 an orange to make a quick vinaigrette and the rest went into the salad. The most time was spent waiting for the beets to roast.


Preparing Beets
My main goal in preparing beets is to avoid dying my hands and ruining my clothes! So I avoid touching them as much as possible. In my post on Raw vegan beet and radish salad with meyer lemon vinaigrette, I prepare the raw beets wearing plastic gloves. In roasting beets, I just carefully trim the tops and bottoms of the beets, and never touch them again - using a fork and knife to carefully peel the skin off after roasting. To further avoid making a mess, I roast the beets in an aluminum foil tent. I don't worry about the contact with aluminum since the skin is going to be removed.

Trim the beets and place in heavy duty foil.

Make a foil tent for roasting.
 Be careful of stem when opening.

Save the Greens
Don't just toss away those beautiful greens. They are a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamins A,  C, E and K, important B vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B6 as well as key minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese. Due to the high content of oxalic acid in beet greens, however, much of the calcium will not be absorbed.

Lightly steam the beet greens.

Pecans - Get Them While you Can!
I love pecans. They are one of my favorite nuts. Having lived in Texas for so many years, I was spoiled with those big, yummy, Texas pecans. Well as it turns out, lots of people love them - especially the Chinese. According to a recent article, "Shell Shock: Chinese Demand Reshapes U.S. Pecan Business", the Chinese went from buying almost no pecans 5 years ago to buying 1/4 of the U.S. crop in 2009 and it continues to grow. Well, even though we are going to see prices go up due to this new demand, I feel good about farmers making some more money.  


Roasted Beet and Orange Salad with Pecans
[serves 4]
For the salad
4 medium beets
1 1/2 fresh seedless oranges
12 raw pecan halves
heavy duty aluminum foil
For the dressing
3 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1/2 an orange)
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Trim the tops and bottoms from the beets and place in a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold over each side of the foil and crimp each end, tightly enclosing the beets. Roast in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until done. Be careful when you open the foil tent as steam will escape quickly.
Hold the end of the beet with a fork and with a butter knife in your other hand, gently scrap off the skin. Once peeled, slice the beets and place them in a bowl.
Cut the top and bottom off the oranges with a knife (but make sure you've already removed the zest). Then holding upright, cut the skin off with a knife. Cut the orange in half, and then slice into pieces. (I prefer cutting rather than peeling so that you are exposing the flesh and not chewing into membrane). Place orange in bowl with the beets. 
Add pecan halves.
Combine all dressing ingredients, add to the salad and toss until well combined.
Top with freshly ground black pepper and serve.


Per serving: 126.4 calories, 6.7 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.9 g protein, 15.8 g carbohydrates and 3.6 g dietary fiber.

Raw Vegan Beet And Radish Salad With Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Raw Beets are Wonderful!
Most people are familiar with roasted beets but if you've never tried eating them raw, you're in for a real treat. My husband won't touch a cooked beet with a ten foot pole but he absolutely loves them raw. Since radishes are one of his favorite foods, I thought I'd delight him by combining them with raw beets and a lovely vinaigrette made with Meyer lemons. I've got a garden full of beets right now and someone gave me some Meyer lemons from their tree the other day so this is a great way to use up these wonderful, fresh ingredients!
Health Benefits
The health benefits of beets are numerous. Their high content of carotenoids and flavonoids give them powerful antioxidant properties allowing them to help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. They have been long known as blood purifiers, for having anti-inflammatory properties and for helping gastrointestinal disorders.
Beets are high in dietary fiber and are a very good source of folate making them a great food to eat if you are pregnant! They also contain a good amount of potassium and manganese. One think to watch for, however, is their oxalate content. Mostly found in their edible greens, oxalate could interfere with your calcium intake so if you are taking calcium supplements, take them between meals.

Hold beets by stem and wear plastic gloves when peeling.

Cut beets into small matchstick sized pieces

Low Calorie Salad
Here's a good recipe to use on your Weight Loss Program. 


Raw Beet and Radish Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

[makes 2 servings]

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 medium sized beets, peeled and sliced into matchstick sized pieces, (1 1/2 cups)
6 radishes, cut into matchstick sized pieces, (3/4 cups)
2 pieces butter or red leaf lettuce, cleaned and dried

To make the vinaigrette, mix the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Place the sliced beets and radishes in a bowl and toss together with the vinaigrette.
Place the lettuce on two small plates.
Spoon the beets and radishes over each lettuce leaf.
Serve immediately or if you want to make ahead, mix the beets and radishes with the vinaigrette, cover and refrigerate.


Per serving: 122.2 calories, 7.0 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat. 0 mg cholesterol, 2.3 g protein, 13.4 g carbohydrates and 4.5 g dietary fiber.


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Juicing—Cleanse And Build Your Immune System And Fight Swine Flu!

Juicing allows you to consume fruits and vegetables in their purest form.

The juicer separates the pulp from the juice of each fruit and vegetable.

Carrot, celery, apple, beet, ginger cocktail.


As fear mounts over the quick spread of swine flu, it’s even more important that we take the month of May to do our RAW cleanse and build up our immune system. I am a strong believer, as is the founder of the natural health college where I studied holistic nutrition, (Clayton College of Natural Heath, www.ccnh.edu), that the body can maintain wellness or heal itself if presented with the correct environment – proper nutrition, clean water, fresh air, in short, a healthful “terrain”. Louis Pasteur once said, “I have been wrong. The germ is nothing. The “terrain” is everything.” The goal of this blog is to help you create that healthful environment which will allow you prevent or recover from an illness and help you to achieve remarkable health.

Any healthful food regimen should include juicing fresh fruits and vegetables. You can do this at home with a juicer or go to the many juice bars across the country. Grocery stores like Whole Foods and many smaller natural food stores make fresh juice. Just make sure you know what’s in it. Some chain juice bars serve drinks loaded with dairy and sugar.

Here are some key reasons to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices:

• They contain important vital enzymes (if not pasteurized).
• Juices help make our body alkaline which helps prevent the loss of essential minerals.
• Juicing allows you to consume more fruits and vegetables making it possible to get sufficient quantities of vitamins and minerals from food.
• Vitamins and minerals from fresh juices assimilate quickly.
• Juice contains thousands of phytochemicals which can prevent illness and promote health.
• Fresh juice with its phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals boost the immune system and accelerate the body’s cleansing process.
• Green juices have chlorophyll which helps detoxify our bodies. Chlorophyll has a similar molecular structure as hemoglobin which carries oxygen throughout our bodies.
• It’s a great way to use up bumper crops from your garden (here’s hoping!).
Here’s one of my favorite juice combinations:

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Carrot, Celery, Apple, Beet, Ginger Cocktail [makes 4, 8 oz. servings]
Use organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
6 large carrots—rich in vitamin A and K
4 stalks of celery—contains vital organic sodium and vitamin K
2 apples, cored—contains vitamin C
2 large beets—rich in folate, manganese; a good blood tonic
1 inch piece of ginger root—good for upset stomach, cold and flu

Cut the tops off the carrots and beets. Cut beets and apples into pieces that fit through the juicer. Juice and enjoy!

Per serving: 121 calories, zero g fat, zero g cholesterol, 2 g protein and 29 g carbohydrates. Fiber is removed in the juicing process.