Beet recipes

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why - Mark Twain

I absolutely love beets (beetroot); they're low in calories, contain no cholesterol and are packed full of fiber, vitamins, minerals & antioxidants. I only started eating them this year and started doing so by adding to my early morning smoothies and salads - now I've moved on to cooking with it  - they go nicely with just about any herbs/spices - so be sure to play around with your what you have in your kitchen - -in addition to herbs they are also great with a bit of honey, vinegar or lemon juice - YUMYUM

Below are a few recipe inspirations

organic beets

Beet chips

sauteed beets with a side of cous cous

Below are a few recipe ideas

Avocado, Mango & Grape Tomatoes Salsa

Your life is your message to the world. Make it inspiring.

Grilled shrimp with a side of Avocado, Mango & Grape tomatoes.

Made this a few months ago and never really documented it - so forgive me if my recipe isn't really helpful - It's simply shrimp marinated in lemon juice and old bay seasoning (i think) and a side of avocado, mango and grape tomatoes - I may have added a light dressing of maybe lime/lemon with agave but not 100%  - - tis hardly rocket science - play around with what you have in your fridge 

Ingredients

Shrimp (say 1 cup) 

Salt

Old bay seasoning

Lemon juice 1 tbs

Salsa

1 Avocado 

1 Mango

1 cup of grape tomatoes

Dressing

Lemon juice/Vinegar/Lime

Agave

Extra Virgin Olive oil - (optional)

Directions

1) Place shrimp in clean bowl, add lemon juice & add old bay or salt to taste - let marinade for an hour in the fridge

2) Thread marinaded shrimp onto a skewer 

3) Heat grill , and grill skewers for 5-10mins (or until cooked)

4) For side  - chop ingredients and place in a serving bowl ; prep dressing and drizzle on salsa to serve

Bean cake[moi-moi] topped with onions & spinach

Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams

 -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bean cake (moi moi) is a staple food in Nigeria. Moimoi is essentially a bean cake/pudding made from blend of black eyed/brown beans, peppers & onions. Moimoi makes a great protein rich  vegetarian dish.
It is normally steamed in leaves, empty cans, foil paper or ramekins , it can also be baked in the oven - this is my preferred method - (less hassle)

Ingredients

2 cups dry beans (this yields 4 cups wet/soaked beans)
1 bell pepper (lg)
1 small onions
1 habenero/scotch bonnet - optional
1 cup of water/broth to blend mix
2 tbsp of extra virgin oil
Corned beef (may opt for boiled eggs, sausages, fish or veggies)

Seasoning
Salt to taste

Garlic      1/2 tsp
Turmeric  1/2 tsp
OR

All purpose season or Bouillon cubes X 2  (optional )


Directions

Pre heat oven to 350F
1) Soak beans overnite or for at least 3hrs if using black eye beans; the brown variant only takes 20 mins to de-skin. Wash off the skin/covering.

2) Blend beans, peppers, & onions with water or broth for more flavor

3) Add oil and chosen seasoning (i used all but the bouillon cubes)

4) Prep filling - I used corned beef - about a slice

5) Grease pan or dish with oil

6) Pour bean mixture into pan to about halfway , add filling , then pour remainder mix

7) Place in the oven and bake for 45mins or until done (test by sticking a tooth pick in it - clean pick means all done)

8) Remove from oven and let cool for 15mins

Serve as a main or side dish
   - serve with rice
   - serve with tomato stew

I opted for a caramelized onions and spinach topping - this was incredibly yummy .

[Breakfast] Steel-cut oats with fresh fruits

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration - Thomas Edison

Steel-cut oats

I must say since we purchased a pressure cooker - making steel-cuts oats has been a breeze (this is one tough grain to cook) - normally would take 25- 30mins to cook , this now takes 8mins using the pressure cooker . Did I already note that I love pressure cooking? if not WELL I LOVE PRESSURE COOKING! It's simply the bomb diggity. 

Ingredients 

1 cup steel-cut oats (serves 2)

2 cups water or 3 cups water (if using a cooker)

Salt to taste

dash of cinnamon (optional)

Direction

Throw all into pressure cooker and set to 8mins , natural release

Conventional

1 Bring water to boil

2 Stir in the oats

3 Once oats starts boiling , turn down heat to low

4 Simmer uncovered or partially covered for 25-30mins - be sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning

May be sweeten with agave, honey or maple syrup . 

[Breakfast] Pancakes topped with fruits (grilled bananas)

You don't have to be great to start , but you have to get started to be great 

-Les Brown

Breakfast during the week for me is usually yogurt & fresh fruits, granola cereal or a tall glass of homemade whey protein shake - simply because it's much quicker - occasionally when I have time I'll make a sunnyside up - but I'm usually on the run - so anything more than 10mins is not an option. That said on the w'end I like to take my time to make breakfast for the family - from hash browns, omelette, waffles/pancakes etc 

For Thanksgiving we had homemade pancakes - now baking is certainly not one of my strengths - I just don't get the exact science - so I prefer to get pre-made mixes and simply add water , eggs  etc. I'm still working on my own batter recipe - we're 50% there.

Ingredients

Pancakes

Pancake mix - Namaste waffle/pancake mix - gluten free/kosher certified

2 Eggs

1 tbs of coconut oil

1 tbs of brown rice syrup (optional )

Bananas

2 bananas ( serves 2)

Cinnamon

1/8 Coconut oil - optional

1/8 Natural cane sugar - optional

Direction

Pancakes - follow direction on packaging

Bananas

 - preheat grill pan or grill

 - peel banana and then slice into two

 - combine sugar and oil in a bowl - mix together

 - apply mixture to bananas and let marinade for 3-5mins

 - place banana on grill , grill each side for 2mins or until grill marks appear - 

 - remove once done and serve 

Swiss Chard , Peach and Radish Salad

Swiss chard! Want a leafy green packed with all green goodness/nutrients? then Swiss chard is for you: . It is high in vitamins A, K and C. It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein

I only discovered this uber fab vegetable early this year - so far I love it in sautes and salad - It is slighty bitter but nothing compared to kale and mustard greens .

This recipe calls for raw ingredients

Ingredients
Organic swiss chard
Radish 1- 2
Grape tomatoes - 1/4 cup (or desired)
Peach
Pinch of salt (optional)

Dressing : Raspeberry Vinegar & Agave syrup

Directions
Chop greens in medium chunks and place to a bowl
Cut tomatoes, radish and peach and add to bowl with greens
Toss bowl
Serve with desired dressing

Desserts - Rum flavored Watermelon Balls

Rum balls anyone? This 'dessert' is perfect for hosting - incredibly easy to make and all so yum.

Note - Instead of rum you may choose other flavors/drinks


Ingredients
Watermelon - 1/4
Malibu Coconut Rum - 3 tbs (to desired)
Shredded Coconut

Directions
Ball watermelons using a melon baller and place in clean plastic bowl
Pour rum or desired drink
Freeze for 1-2hrs

Garnish with shredded coconut and served chilled