Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Red, red beats?

I'm looking for a job, which is really hard in this market. At least I have time to exercise, write and blog. Oh, and cook! So I decided to revive this blog for as long as it's fun. I'm experimenting a lot so you might expect a few "what not to do". At the moment I don't really have an oven, just a stove and a microwave, so oven recipes will be kept to a minimum.
Warning: if you have anything against the taste of beets or the color pink you will not like the following recipe. Although, if you've only ever tasted pickled beets give this recipe a try- you'll be surprised. This recipe is also very good if your kid has decided he\she will only eat pink food.
So lately I've been on this new diet and am eating more soy because it's a cheap and easy way to add protein to a diet. This is a quick and easy meal for as many people as you want, from one to one hundred. The ingredients I give serve one big portion though.
You'll need: one small beet (or half a large one), half an onion, one or two cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic), One small potato, tofu or filleted mackerel, olive oil (though you can settle for canola) and salt & pepper.
OK, now peel and chop up the beet into small pieces (if the pieces are too large it will take ages to cook) and toss that in the frying pan with a bit of oil and start cooking on a medium heat. Peel & chop up the potato (also small for the same reason) and toss them in too, same with the onion and garlic. Make sure to mix every once in a while. Now if you're using tofu once you see the onions have gotten a bit soft toss the tofu (cut it into small blocks) in and add salt and pepper to taste. If you're using the mackerel don't bother frying it - just pour the mixture on top and then mix (add the salt and pepper to the mixture while still in the pan). In both cases its ready when the onion is clearish and the potato is soft (you can easily stick a fork in it - if you taste it will remain slightly crunchy. I love to make this - it's easy, quick and a complete meal in one (oh and healthy).
As always, if you have any questions, comment or whatever - leave a comment on the blog.
Some data on beets: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49