I like roasted beets. Depending on size, you can cut them up or not, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, wrap all together in a tinfoil envelope and stick in the oven (or on the bbq) until done. Good hot or cold the next day in a salad. (Don't eat the peel, but it's much easier and less messy to remove once it's cooked.)
Or a raw shredded beet and carrot salad is good too. Peel beets first.
Homemade pickled beets are my favourite if you're feeling more adventurous.
I don't like beets. There is nothing I can do to them to make them edible, because what I dislike about them is their taste. Beets have a very earthy taste that people who like beets enjoy, but to me it just tastes like eating dirt. The best beet in the world, perfectly prepared, still tastes like dirt to me.
Don't beat (hehe) up on yourself if you don't like them. You probably just respond to that earthy flavor the way I do. Don't let people who do enjoy them (which is fine for them) bully you into thinking that if you just try them prepared this one way, you'll suddenly see the light! It's okay to give them away.
1) Snip the tops, wrap 'em in tin foil, and baked for 45-60 minutes. Rub the skins right off and quarter them, and they are tasty drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper, and crumbled goat cheese. NOM NOM NOM.
2) Beet greens (the big bushy parts of beets) are awesome when sautéed with garlic and olive oil like you would do with spinach. While I can certainly understand not loving beets, beet greens are freaking delicious.
I like roasted beets. Depending on size, you can cut them up or not, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, wrap all together in a tinfoil envelope and stick in the oven (or on the bbq) until done. Good hot or cold the next day in a salad. (Don't eat the peel, but it's much easier and less messy to remove once it's cooked.)
I'm not a huge fan of beets but they get such high marks for being good for you and for detoxifying that I make myself eat them occasionally. I don't mind them, they just aren't my favorite food. I do really like beet greens though.
I really like "rocket salad"! Which for me is a couple handfuls of arugula, some thinly sliced beats (boiled for 20 minutes and then let them cool and then peel), goat cheese (it works with ricotta and brie if you don't like goat cheese), you can put some pine nuts/walnuts/other nuts on there (I don't though), and a balsamic vinaigrette (or just use some balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil - or any vinaigrette really)... oh, you can also put some mandarin oranges on there, or pears... (pears are good!) - if you use any fruits though I would go for a fruitier vinaigrette.
I also used to hate beets. I still think they taste like dirt, but I guess I've come to appreciate the taste of dirt.
At any rate I agree that roasting is one of the best ways to make any disliked veggie taste much better. I hate brussels sprouts with a passion, but roasting makes even them taste good.
Another great way to disguise the beet taste is in veggie soup. Beef, canned beef broth, onions, canned diced tomatoes or tomato juice, cabbage, onion, beets, and any other soup veggies you like (potatoes, green beans, celery... whatever).
There are some great borscht recipes online (and I mean the country-style beef/onion/cabbage/beet soups, not the pureed cold beat borscht).
And the tops are really good sauteed (they have more subtle not-so-dirty flavor).
I love them in general. Have you ever had a raw beet salad? You grate them after peeling. They are wonderful with a lemony oil & vinegar dressing (just a hint of oil - I like walnut). They are also good in a garlicky yogurt based dressing. The raw state gives you more of the sweetness, a nice crunch like raw carrots and lessens the earthiness that leans towards the "dirt" taste. Google around and you will find lots of these salads as they have become popular in recent years.
They are weirdly good sliced and mixed up with mustard and vinegar concoctions or with horseradish. And of course, I always like hard-boiled eggs pickled in beet juice.
OH NO!!!! Not Beets....
