This recipe is super quick and easy, especially if you already have some cooked beets on hand. Costco has been carrying pre-cooked vacuum sealed bags – the brand is “Love Beets” I believe. I’ve tried them and here’s my thoughts – I don’t like that they come in plastic because plastic can leach BPA into our food. And I don’t think they taste as good as just plain ole organic beets that I cook myself. But, they ARE convenient. And I get that.
Beets can be cooked in a variety of ways – probably my favorite method is to just put them whole into my heavy duty ceramic dutch oven with a good lid. I don’t even wash them because I’m going to peel them anyway. But you can bake them in a casserole dish. Or peel and steam. Any work fine.
Makes about 4 servings:
Ingredients:
8 cups greens like arugula, organic spinach, etc.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons sliced Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups steamed beet wedges, or slices, 1/2-1 inch thick
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar ( or fresh lemon or lime juice )
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Prepare beets by cutting off the ends, peeling, and boiling on the stove top for about 15 minutes, or until they are tender. I test it by poking it with a fork. Or bake them until tender, let them cool, and then skin them and cube them.
2. Place greens in a large salad bowl.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 2 minutes until it begins to soften. Add tomatoes, olives, parsley and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 3 minutes. Add beets, vinegar, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the beets are heated through, about 1 minute more.
4. Add the beet mixture to the greens and toss to combine. Serve warm.
