People either love beets or hate them. Some think they taste a bit like dirt. I think they were just served beets that were in a can and not the lovely fresh ones.

What gives beets that earthy-flavor isn’t because they are a root vegetable that grows in the ground, but geosmin. Geosmin gives off a smell like freshly plowed earth. Human noses are very sensitive to geosmin, and while some people don’t like it, others love it. Other foods high in geosmin include spinach, lettuce, and mushrooms.

Beets aren’t just in a can or used for borsht (which when done the right way is amazing). There are a variety of ways to use them – and besides roasting them (which I do often), I also make a killer hummus from them.

Everyone loves this hummus, partly because it’s so cheery: it’s bright pink! And the beets give a natural sweetness to the sometimes bland chickpea mixture.

And the best part? Once you make it, you can use the mixture in a variety of ways:

• a traditional dip with crackers, pita, and veggies
• a pizza ‘sauce’ topped with spinach, garlic, and feta cheese
• Sandwich spread (especially great with turkey)
• Part of the mixings for deviled eggs or pasta salad (substitute for mayo)

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Beet hummus

Course: Snack

Ingredients

• 1 roasted beet See additional note.
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas drained
• 1 lemon
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 TBS tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

• Grate the lemon for zest.
• Juice half the lemon.
• Place beet in food processor and or blender and blend until fine.
• Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the oil. Pulse until smooth.
• Drizzle oil in as pulsing.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding salt, pepper, more lemon juice, or olive oil if needed.

Notes

Roasting beets is simple. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Trim the ends of the beets. Do not peel! (Save the greens and use as you would any greens - for salads, soups, etc,) Place the individual beet on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle the beet with olive oil. Wrap the beet in the foil. Stick in oven for about 45 minutes.  Once roasted, let cool to the touch. Rub the foil while still covered against the beet. The peel will fall right off when opened.

For many, root vegetables aren’t just that ‘sexy’. I mean potato. Sounds wonderful, right? And turnip?  Ugh.

And yes, they are so old school. Before our ancestors learned how to grow their own food, they foraged for wild carrots and beets. And some of the first things they grew their own food were root veggies. We have a 5000+ year history with root vegetables.

Now, most people know how to roast, bake or boil their vegetables, and that’s why they often feel so blah.  So through the month, I’ll be sharing some recipes that elevate root vegetables to be the star of any dinner.

Let’s start with a common vegetable: carrots. When you read carrot, did you think of orange? Most people do. But carrots come in many colors including purple, black, red, white, and yellow.

When they were first cultivated, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds rather than their roots, which were woody and bitter. Growers kept working on the root to make it sweeter and more palatable. Some close relatives of the carrot are still grown for their leaves and seeds, such as parsley, cilantro, coriander, fennel, anise, dill, and cumin. (Yup, they are all technically root vegetables, too!)

Carrots are often the item that adds color to the plate.  But otherwise pretty boring. But what about carrot noodles?

What’s great about this recipe is that you can make your own carrot noodles with a spiralizer or they now come ready to go in both the freezer section and some produce sections. And with a little creativity, you can make this a full meal, by adding extra protein, including cooked chicken, seafood, tofu, and nuts.

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Carrot noodles with peanut sauce

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot, peanut sauce, veggies

Ingredients

• 6-7 carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 2 Tbs sesame oil, divided
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 Tbs rice vinegar You can use apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
• 3 tsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbs soy sauce or fish sauce
• 1 Tbs grated ginger root
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 green onions, chopped
• red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Cut the carrots into strips using a spiralizer, peeler, or mandolin.
• Mix together the peanut butter, one tablespoon of sesame oil, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger, and pepper flakes (if you’re using them). If the sauce looks too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and mix well.
• In a skillet or wok, heat the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, the garlic, green onions, and any other ingredients you want to add (cooked chicken, seafood, chopped peanuts, etc).
• Add the noodles and cook until crisp-tender.
• Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and stir until combined. Remove from heat and serve.