Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Recipe: Grated Beet Salad

Yesterday, I had already used the food processor to grate some carrots for tossing into our main dish, and we had a few beets left over, so we had an extremely simple salad as an accompaniment to our meal that ended up being the most profoundly satisfying thing.

Grated Beet Salad

Take 4 beets, and peel, trim, and grate them, either manually or in a food processor. Stir them in a bowl with the juice from half a large lemon and 1-2 tablespoons of very high quality extra virgin olive oil. Optional: stir in some of your favorite green herb, minced, like parsley or basil or cilantro. I think chopped pistachios would also be great in this salad. VoilĂ !

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Here's more nutritional information about The Amazing Beet!

Beets are superfoods and contain nutrient compounds that prevent heart disease, birth defects, and cancer. Betacyanin, which gives beets their deep ruby color, is a cancer-fighting agent. The fiber in beets is also healthy for your colon. Eating them grated or julienned is a wonderful way to get the maximum amount of active nutrients -- nutrient activity is diminished after heating.

The betaine found in beets (and also spinach) is anti-inflammatory (chronic inflammation is something to avoid, as it has been linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's, and type-2 diabetes). In fact, the choline found in egg yolks and soybeans works well together with the betaine found in beets, spinach, and whole wheat products to reduce inflammation -- so try a poached egg atop some wilted beet greens!

The B-vitamin folate is especially important for women to consume during pregnancy to prevent fetal neural tube defects. Just one cup of boiled beets provides 34% of the recommended daily intake of folate! (Raw beets may provide more.)

The only individuals who need worry about eating too many beets are people with kidney or gallbladder problems (beets have oxalates, which can form crystals in people with not entirely functioning kidneys or gallbladders).

% DV that 1 Cup (Boiled) Beets provides of:
folate 34%
manganese 27.5%
potassium 14.8%
dietary fiber 13.6%
vitamin C 10.2%
magnesium 9.8%
iron 7.4%
copper 6.5%
phosphorus 6.5%

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