What to Make with Beetroot Puree

Updated: Aug 15, 2021

I was doing some research on PubMed.Gov (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) for this post regarding the nutritional benefits of beetroot and could find almost exclusively research studies on beetroot juice. This is because beetroots lose some of their nutritional value when cooked and therefore to be able to health benefits and study this nutritional benefits of this vegetable in a controlled setting - juice is the way to go. This does not mean the whole vegetable cooked other ways doesn't have nutritional benefits. The act of chewing actually brings out some of the nutritional properties in food as there are compounds in our saliva that help to increase the bioavailability of polyphenol antioxidants. It's just that juicing is the most convenient way to create a control, important in scientific research but not necessarily in daily life :-) Just something to keep in mind when you are sold nutritional supplements and other "magic bullets".

I did however spend some time on PubMed.gov researching the effects that beetroot juice could have on our bodies. I found a bunch of scientific studies on the cardiovascular benefits of beetroot juice. One of the studies titled: "Acute ingestion of beetroot juice increases exhaled nitric oxide in healthy individuals" looked at the effect that beetroot juice supplementation would have on heart rate and blood pressure during exercise. The background for the study lies in the fact that "deficits in NO are linked to loss of bronchoprotective effects in airway challenges and predict symptoms of respiratory infection." The researchers found that there was an increase in nitric oxide after exercise in those who received the supplement of beetroot juice. This is most likely due to the nitrates found in the beetroot. Further research is needed in order to confirm whether beetroot juice is truly beneficial for respiratory health in the long term.

Did I just say nitrates? Yes I did and yes these are basically the same as the nitrates found in processed meats as a preservative. In fact nitrates found in vegetables are much more abundant than what can be found in processed meats. The main problem with nitrates is that they can form another compound called nitrosamines when exposed to high heat which often occurs when cooking meat. Those are the carcinogens we should avoid not the nitrate itself. Vegetables conveniently contain antioxidants that bind to the nitrates and prevent them from becoming nitrosamines (https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/sodium-nitrite-vegetables-3535.html) .

Where I live, beetroot is usually sold as just the root vegetable (see below picture) but the leafy green part should not be overlooked if you can get your hands on it at the market or farmer's market don't throw it away! The leafy greens are great sources of Calcium, Iron and Vitamin A and C. Similar to kale, you could eat them raw in salads, saute them and add to stir frys or saute and add to rice dishes to name just a few.

Raw beetroots are a good source of Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate, and Potassium, and a minimal source of Iron as well. Cooking the beetroot does reduce the nutritional value of the vegetable but not completely. Steaming is the next best thing in terms of nutrient retention so I decided to go with that for the next two recipes.

If you don't have a juicer (I don't) or just want a different way to enjoys beets you should try out one (or both :-) ) of these next recipes. They were both instant hits with my son and I, and I plan on playing around with beetroot puree more as it's a really fun way to add more vegetables into our diet.

My favorite are the health bombs (new term, otherwise known as bliss balls, energy balls, protein balls etc. let me know what you think). They are truly balls of goodness packed with healthy super food ingredients and they taste delicious. I promise you won't be able to eat just one.

First, before you start either one of these recipes you will need to make a beetroot puree.

1. Peel 3 small sized beetroots about the size of the one pictured about.

2. Cut up beetroot into small cubes and place in steamer basket.

3. Place the steamer basket in a pot of water about 2 inches deep at rolling boil.

4. Cover and let steam for about 15 minutes until the cubes are fork tender.

5. Puree the beets with a hand blender until smooth.

Beetroot Pancakes

Tools:

1 cup and 1/2 cup measuring cups

1 teaspoon

frying pan

1 medium and 1 small bowl

Ingredients:

1/2 cup beetroot puree

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

Directions:

1. Combine the beetroot puree, milk and egg in the medium bowl and the flour, baking soda and salt in the small bowl. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently. I also added a little cinnamon powder but it is totally optional.

2. Melt a tiny amount of butter or oil on a frying pan on low heat.

3. Spoon batter onto the pan. I like to use a soup ladle , so I used about 1/4 ladle per pancake and flattened out the batter. I found the that the flatter the pancakes the better they are. These are more like mini crepes not a fluffy pancake recipe.

4. The pancakes are ready to flip when there are plenty of bubbles on top and they start to pop and the pancake looks done around the edges. Flip pancakes and wait another 1-2 minutes.

My son woke up from his nap right as I was taking the pictures for this and he immediately darted over and grabbed one. p.s. he loved it.

Beetroot Health Bombs

Tools:

1 cup and 1/4 cup measuring cup

1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon

food processer or a hand held one as pictured

Ingredients:

1/2 cup beetroot puree

1.5 cups oatmeal (ground into a flour in the food processor)

1/4 cup coconut flakes or dessicated coconut

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

2 tablespoons almond butter

5 dates soaked in boiling water until softened

1-2 tablespoons chia seeds

handful of walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor until a thick paste forms (see picture). Feel free if you want to make any substitutions just make sure you stay within the guidelines of liquid and dry so that the paste will come together and you'll be able to form the balls.