A great way to amp up up the nutritional value of beets while being a great addition to salads, side dishes, and appetizers!

We need to talk about beets.

I was not a fan of them in the beginning. It was so bad that I remember my first time trying them. It was at Jason’s Deli, many moons ago. I was with my health freak friends and they were like, “Oh! You have to add beets to your salad, they’re so good for you!”. I thought to myself, “Sure… If beets can make my entire salad pink then they can’t be that bad!”.

Boy, was I wrong; beets taste just like dirt.

Years have gone by since then and I would now consider myself a beet connoisseur. If I go to a cute mom & pop bakery or a hipster smoothie joint, I will initially scour the menu for anything beet flavored and go for it. One of my favorite things that include beet in the recipe is these amazing beet and ricotta cheese donuts from The Underground Cafe with DoughP Doughnutsin Asheville, NC. They were a total game changer!

I have thought about different ways to incorporate beets into my diet, and eventually, I realized one way to implement beets is to pickle them!

Cool facts about pickled beets:

Very low in fat, with less than 0.2g in each cup of slices.
Rich in dietary fiber which helps in promoting a healthy digestive system and stable blood sugar levels.
High levels of many vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, B and C, potassium, magnesium, and iron.
Detox capabilities!
Contains both essential amino acids betaine (used to help people with depression) and tryptophan (that acts as a natural mood regulator)

There are many ways to incorporate pickled beets into your diet. My favorite way is to add them to salads. You can also add them to a bruschetta style appetizer with goat cheese and basil, breakfast eggs, or a side dish!

Now, let’s talk about how to pickle your beets. Most restaurants or recipes on Pinterest will tell you to pickle your beet or vegetable in sugar or a brine. A little bit of sugar is fine, but I try to avoid adding too much extra sugar to my diet. That is why my recipe uses a very small amount of sugar along with apple cider vinegar just to balance out the flavor. I won’t go too much into detail, as ACV already holds a solid reputation, but ACV is great for regulating blood sugar levels, can improve skin health, and reduce blood pressure. Now, to the recipe, we go!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

A great way to amp up up the nutritional value of beets while being a great addition to salads, side dishes, and appetizers!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh beets
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar ((with the mother))
1/2 cup filtered water
1 tsp organic cane sugar
1 pint glass mason jar (wide mouth in picture)

DIRECTIONS

Wash and clean beets and add to a boiling pot of water.
Boil for up to 25 minutes or until fork tender. (Tip* use boiled beet water as a plant fertilizer!)
While beets are boiling, add water, sugar and ACV to a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Let the beets rest and then peel off the skin (taking the skin off after boiling process is much easier than when beets are fresh)
Cut into cubes or slices (Tip*place a paper towel over cutting board and wear gloves to prevent staining)
Add beets to a jar and pour the liquid mixture over until full to the rim. Allow the pickled beet mixture to cool until room temperature.
Screw on lid and transfer to the fridge! You can refrigerate for up to two weeks.

NOTES

Canning option: I will be honest and say that I have not tried canning for long-term storage so I am not sure how these would store later so I don’t recommend it.