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!

Serves 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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