Beetroot done 10 ways

Olympian marathoners and endurance athletes have been drinking beetroot juice for a couple of years now to up their game, and some lesser mortals have also been glugging ABC (Apple Beet Carrot) juice for its cleansing and detox benefits. But drinking juice that tastes rather like dirt isn’t as much fun day after day even if it is bursting with goodness. Without falling back on the overused term superfood, we must add that beetroot is indeed one of the hottest ingredients around today, with its sales doubling over the past two years in countries such as the UK.

Salads containing beet are also passe considering the root is now added to things like the Beyond Burger so that the patty bleeds like a real meat burger. This beetroot timeline should give you new ideas to use the vegetable every other week and never get bored.

This beetroot ravioli with a filling of juicy grated beetroot is for the kind of masterchef who makes her own pasta. If not, make friends with a chef who will happily oblige.

 

Isn’t the whole world into baking now? Add some beet juice or fresh grated beet into your dough and your vibrant beetroot bread will rise to the occasion. For recipes, artisanal bread maker Sujit Sumitran maybe your man.

 

If you’ve had turmeric latte, green tea latte and chai latte, then the idea of a beetroot latte is far from offensive. Head to the nearest Starbucks or the hipster equivalent and demand they learn how to make this one. Besides the promise of lowering blood pressure, this one gets bonus points for being vegan.

 

Move over kale chips, beet crisps are our new favourite. You can bake them, fry them or air fry them. You guessed it – we love chips.

 

Chickpeas, beetroot, olive oil and we feel ready for the ultramarathon and we’re only on dish no 5 – hummus. No Lebanese soul worth his tahini will mess with his hummus recipe, but for the sake of health, we say, go for it.

 

This is possibly our second favourite beetroot dish after the crisps. Who would have thought the down-to-earth root could find its way into an airy, creamy French dessert?

 

This one’s easy. Blitz the beetroot to make a puree, add some coconut milk or milk of choice, chop up bananas, add honey or sweetener of choice and your smoothie bowl is ready.

 

This needs an expert so ask the chef of your favourite Italian restaurant nicely and he might make it for you or even add it to his menu.

 

Wake up to a stack of beetroot banana pancakes instead of the same ‘ol breakfast. These pancakes add more colour to your plate too besides changing the flavour and texture around.

 

We aren’t such a fan of the zucchini pasta, but the beetroot pasta is much more flavourful and eye-catching.