Ginger Boiled beets

Beets are an incredible source of nutrition. If you are trying to be a healthy vegetarian, beets should be a staple in your diet, especially in the winter months. Chinese medicine says that beets nourish the blood, so they will help you with endurance, improve vision, and help with mental focus. As a root vegetable they tend to have a settling effect on your mind.

In addition, they are very tasty when cooked right. Kids will often find appeal in their sweetness, if you don’t mind the messy potential of red stains. Many like to bake their beets, but I prefer to boil to add in the flavors of the ginger and other spices. All the quantities below can be modified to taste, but here’s the general idea of how to cook them:

Prep/cook time: Less than 30 minutes

Ingredients:

-2 medium to large red beets

-Fresh ginger root

-Coriander seeds

-Optional:: Zest of Lemon or orange (if you don’t feel like zesting you can usually find orange peel in the spice section of the grocery store)

Directions:

Scrub the beets. You can peel them if you want, but this really isn’t necessary. Add 1-2 inches of water to the bottom of your pan, bring to boil with 5-7 slices of fresh ginger. You can also add the coriander seeds at this time. I just put the seeds in a pepper grinder, and add them at the end.

While your water is coming to a boil, cut your beets into cubes of whatever thickness you desire. I usually do cubes that are at least ½ inch thick. Add to the boiling water. The water doesn’t have to completely cover the beets, as their internal liquid will start to come into the water. Boil until soft (around 20 minutes). You can add in your zest in the last couple minutes of cooking.

Note:

With all recipes in here, these are meant to be modified according to your taste preferences. Use this as a guideline. I usually like to have beets when I’m eating more vegetarian foods. This can be part of a very nourishing (and filling) meal with some steamed greens, brown rice or quinoa, and a nut butter sauce (look for tahini sauce recipe posted here as well). Enjoy!