Beetroot is another versatile vegetable which not only brings colour to your plate, but also goes with just about anything.
You can make it into a soup, add it to any fish dish or salad, roast it or eat it cold. There are lots of recipes for Beetroot salads, but I didn’t add any to my list as I am sure everyone uses Beetroot in their salads already. Instead I wanted to show how you can use it in different ways like roasting it in the oven with other vegetables like my chicken recipe below. Beetroot even goes well on a pizza and below you will find my easy recipe using Naan bread instead of pizza base. Try the lamb burgers; they are delicious and great for something different at a BBQ. You can use chicken or beef mince if you’re not a lamb fan.
Buen Apetito
Beetroot Breakfast Drink
1 x pack of vacuum packed natural cooked beetroot
2 x dessert apples
1 x peeled grapefruit
Put through a juicer
Pour in to glasses and serve.
Beetroot Pizza
2 plain naan bread
2 tsbp chopped parsley
1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
180g beetroot, cut into wedges
55g pepperoni
1 x 125g ball mozzarella, torn into pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C/gas 7.
Arrange the naan on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, capers, garlic and oil, then divide between the naan and spread all over with the back of a spoon. Top each naan evenly with the beetroot, pepperoni, and mozzarella. Grind over a little black pepper and bake in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes until the naan is crisp and the cheese melted. Serve immediately.
Chicken and Beetroot Roast
500g new potatoes, cut into wedges
250g pack cooked beetroot, cut into half
250g carrots peeled & cut into 2cm chunks
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, cut into fine slices
2-3 sprigs for thyme
175ml white wine
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken legs
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
In a large roasting tin, mix the potatoes, beetroot, carrots, onion and garlic. Drizzle over the olive oil and pour over the wine and tuck the thyme in between the vegetables. Season well with salt & pepper. Season the chicken legs all over with salt and pepper and lay them on top of the vegetables. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil from the tin and return to the oven. Bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is golden and crisp and the vegetable are cooked through.
Beetroot Soup
500g cooked beetroot cut into chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
750ml vegetable stock
In large saucepan, sweat the onion gently in the olive oil until it softens. This will take around 10 minutes – be careful not to burn the onions, you are not trying to caramelize them. When the onions are soft, add the crushed garlic to the pan and gently fry for a further minute and then add the beetroot, stock and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Using a liquidiser or stick blender, blend the soup until really smooth. Pour the soup in bowls and serve immediately. Serve with croutons.
Lamb and Beetroot Burger
500g minced lamb
250g beetroot, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 cloves garlic, crushed
100g feta cheese, cut into 4 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 burger buns or ciabatta rolls
Salad leaves
Cherry tomatoes, cut in ½
Finely sliced red onion rings
In a large bowl, combine the lamb, beetroot, egg, mint and garlic. Season to taste with salt & freshly ground black pepper and mix thoroughly. Divide into 4 equal portions. Take one portion and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Place a cube of feta in the middle and draw the meat up and over the cheese, moulding it into a burger shape and taking care to ensure the cheese is totally surrounded. Repeat with the other meat portions and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. When you are ready to cook the burgers, heat a griddle pan (or BBQ) to medium hot and cook the burgers for around 6-8 minutes on each side. Check they are cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out piping hot to touch they are cooked, if not cook for a further minute or so.
Serve the burgers in buns with salad.