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Recipe: Quick Beets with Chile and Lemon

2009_06_26-beets.jpgAlthough we have turned our attention towards more quintessentially summer flavors, we still have beets galore at the farmers' market and are always pleased to discover new ways to eat them. Here's a vibrant, crunchy, no-oven-required and ridiculously quick preparation we picked up from one of our beet sellers.

 
 

We've highlighted raw beet salads before, and this is another one to add to the list. All it requires is beets, lemon juice, and chile powder, but the combination of the three ingredients is quite satisfying and complex – earthy, sweet, tangy, and spicy.

For an extra bit of depth, add lemon zest. You may also use lime, which is a classic with chile powder, but we slightly prefer the flavor of lemon with beets. Finally, we can't praise our favorite Chimayó chile powder enough, but, of course, use whatever you have on hand.

Quick Beets with Chile and Lemon
Serves 2

4 small beets
Juice of 1 lemon
Chile powder

Peel the beets and thinly slice using a knife or mandoline.

Toss with lemon juice and a pinch of chile powder. Taste and add more chile powder if desired.

Related: Seasonal Inspiration: Raw Beet Salads

(Image: Emily Ho)

Tags

Salad, Vegetable, Healthy, Vegetarian, Quick, Vegan, Easy, beets

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Comments (3)

That looks just fabulous! I'm such a sucker for beets, but I hate waiting for them to roast. This looks just perfect - crunchy, spicy, earthy, lemony... All I need is beets!

http://www.abreadaday.com

posted by eprewitt on June 26th 2009 at 3:16pm
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I love beets! I grew up eating them (in Russia). Your dish looks gorgeous!

here are a few ways I like eating mine:
1) Vinegret: Russian beet salad....takes some work to make, but so worth it
2) beet, orange and blue cheese salad
3) raw beet, carrot and cabbage salad
4) cold beet soup
5) mashed potatoes with beets

posted by orchidgirl1979 on June 27th 2009 at 9:51am
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wow, perfect! I have several beets in the fridge from greenlings, but I've been reluctant to use the oven in a very hot Texas June. You've given me a yummy solution!

posted by mobi on July 2nd 2009 at 8:57pm
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