As a kid I can remember being utterly disgusted, turned off, and appalled by the sight of beets. Back then their deep purplish red color and finger staining juice seemed abnormal and unnatural. But now that I’m all grown up I am mesmerized by their intense color and earthy taste.

That being said, I made it my mission to create a recipe or two using fresh beets. A recent trip to the farmer’s market sparked the idea and one of my daily web browsing sessions solidified an immediate recipe development session. Roasted Beets came first. Fortunately this was pretty easy to prepare with a quick wash rinse and peel, my beets were ready for the oven.

These roasted beets provide the base to this A+mazing and oh so healthy Roasted Beet & Strawberry Juice. My obsession with strawberries has yet to end and they are the perfect accompaniment to sweeten the often overlooked and underused beet. It took me some time to get this blend quite right but the end result is a smooth beet & berryriffic treat. My beet juice was the base for this wonderful frozen dessert I call Beets & Cream Frozen Bars. They happen to be gluten, dairy free and vegan.

But wait, my session with beets was not over. I am an all purpose kind of guy and no part of my vegetables go to waste. The lovely beet greens that I cut off before I roasted them went into my Beet Green Snap Pea & Tofu Stirfry. These greens are rich in antioxidants, vitamin K, and vitamin A which is a great immune booster.

So there you have it four recipes from 1 bunch of beets. I do believe I’ve done well. Quite well indeed. Stay tuned for these recipes later in the week. I can’t divulge everything all at once!

Eat Well,

the gluten free chef