When I studied abroad in Costa Rica one summer, I rediscovered beets -- or possibly discovered them for the first time. The first time I had them there, I was having lunch at a restaurant with some of my classmates, and the waiter asked if I wanted a salad on the side. "Sure!" When the plate arrived, the salad was like no salad I'd ever seen before: It was completely reddish pink! It had these yummy salty things called palmitos (hearts of palm), and the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro really added so much depth to such a simple salad. It was delicious, let me tell you! So now, I will share my version of this super simple beet salad so that you can gobble it up and share my love for this superfood!
Lex's Beets and Hearts of Palm SaladServes 4-6 as a side salad
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 red beets, peeled
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 3 pieces of canned hearts of palm, drained
- 1 salad tomato
- Cilantro for garnish (optional)
- Boil a pot of water for the beets. Slice beets into halves, and place in the water. Boil until tender, roughly 30 minutes. Note: You do not need to salt the water.
- Remove beets from water, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Dice hearts of palm, onions, and tomato. Dice beets, and toss with other ingredients.
- Enjoy!
Pro tips:
- When you peel the beets, do so under cold running water. This will help you avoid those red stains!
- Instead of throwing out the beet greens, saute those suckers! Cut off the stems, rinse off the greens, and throw them in a pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of cayenne, a little garlic, and about a teaspoon of vinegar. Enjoy!
Have you rediscovered a food that you disliked as a child? Do you like beets? How do you like to prepare them?
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