Beets are one of those superfood veggies (like Brussels sprouts) that command attention and a place on your plate. They are loaded with with health benefits. According the the book Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson, ‘beets have more antioxidant properties than all other common vegetables in the grocery store (except artichokes, red cabbage, kale and bell peppers), with 9x more antioxidant activity than a typical tomato and 50x more than orange carrots. Beet leaves have 7x more antioxidants than romaine lettuce and are on par with kale.’ The darker the beet the better it is for you, so choose red beets over the golden varieties. Additionally, you want to look for the freshest beets for optimum nutrition, so be sure to purchase beets sold with their leaves still attached.
Maple Orange Glazed Beets
Equipment
- steamer
Ingredients
- 2 bunches red beets and greens approximately 6 beets
- 4 tbsp orange juice fresh squeezed
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp butter grass fed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Beets
- Wash and trim beets, setting greens aside.
- Peel the skin from the beets, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Steam beets about 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
- In a saucepan, prepare the glaze while the beets are steaming. Combine orange juice, maple syrup and butter and cook over medium heat until the liquid starts to bubble.
- Stir in the cooked beets. Cook until the liquids thickens and creates a glaze, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes).
Beet Greens
- Remove the beet green from stem. To serve them right away, you can saute them in the same pan you prepared the beets in by adding a little more oil or butter to the pan. Saute until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- As another option, you can also save the greens to add to a smoothie. They are one of mine and my kids favorite greens for smoothies! They are as nutritious as kale but have a much more mild flavor.