Beet recipes

I haven't posted recipes in awhile...probably because I didn't have anything of note to post.  My poor family members are the guinea pigs of many a recipe at our house.  Some good, some not-so-good.  They are always honest.  :)

For the past couple of years, we've participated in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program through a local organic farm, Harmony Valley Farms (Harmony Valley Farm).  We get the most wonderful assortment of vegetables throughout the year, and it's caused us to try (and many times even enjoy) new, healthy tastes.

In January, we get two boxes of winter veggies.  Lots and LOTS of winter veggies!  Each year, it's a challenge to figure out what to do with these wonderful, nutritious foods before they go bad.  This year, I've found myself looking for ideas of what to do with carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, celeriac, and beets.  I decided to take one day to concentrate on each of these wonderful vegetables, and today's veggie of choice was beets.

I LOVE beets.  I can eat them cooked, plain, and truly enjoy them.  No one else in my house is a fan.  Since I had such a plethora of them, I decided to use a few to try some new recipes, in the hopes the rest of the family would get onboard.

I'm a huge hummus fan.  A friend of ours makes delicious homemade hummus and regularly blesses me with it.  I found a recipe for beet hummus and decided to give it a try.  It is actually quite tasty!  Now, I'll admit, given a choice, I'd take the traditional garbanzo bean version.  But the beet version is extremely beautiful (due to the bright, purple color) as well as tasty.  Here's the link to the recipe I followed:  Beet Hummus

Pickled beets - my grandmother used to make these (as well as pickled eggs, which may well be my next experiment, since I am now craving them!).  I do not know anything about canning, so I chose a recipe that is simply refrigerated.  It is delicious and tastes almost identical to what I remember from childhood.  The recipe is here:  Pickled Beets

I also made a beef stew with turnips in the slow cooker tonight, which the whole family enjoyed.  Even my very picky daughter!  Let me know if you want that recipe.

Happy cooking (with beets)!