Beets: Part II - Beet Greens

This post is part II of a two-part series on beets. The first part can be found here:

Most people have had beets in some form or another, even if it's not freshly roasted beets.  However, many people are unaware that the beet greens can be eaten too.  In fact, beet greens are more nutritious than the beet root.  They not only contain higher amounts of the same vitamins found in beet root, they also contain high amounts of other minerals, such as iron.  In fact, beet greens have more iron than spinach!

When you purchase beets with the greens attached, make sure to remove the greens and cook them relatively soon after purchase (3-4 days).  Otherwise, the leaves will continue to suck water and nutrients from the beet root, resulting in, eventually, a shriveled and not so pretty beet root.  If the greens are removed, beet roots can last for several weeks in the refrigerator.

You can treat beet greens like any other greens.  I just sauteed mine with some garlic and vegetable oil, Chinese style!  For some "Chinese style" ideas, check out these posts:

Sauteed Hollow Heart Vegetable
Mustard Greens with Garlic
Sauteed Pea Tendrils with Garlic

Enjoy!

Beets: Part II - Beet Greens

This post is part II of a two-part series on beets. The first part can be found here:

Most people have had beets in some form or another, even if it's not freshly roasted beets.  However, many people are unaware that the beet greens can be eaten too.  In fact, beet greens are more nutritious than the beet root.  They not only contain higher amounts of the same vitamins found in beet root, they also contain high amounts of other minerals, such as iron.  In fact, beet greens have more iron than spinach!

When you purchase beets with the greens attached, make sure to remove the greens and cook them relatively soon after purchase (3-4 days).  Otherwise, the leaves will continue to suck water and nutrients from the beet root, resulting in, eventually, a shriveled and not so pretty beet root.  If the greens are removed, beet roots can last for several weeks in the refrigerator.

You can treat beet greens like any other greens.  I just sauteed mine with some garlic and vegetable oil, Chinese style!  For some "Chinese style" ideas, check out these posts:

Sauteed Hollow Heart Vegetable
Mustard Greens with Garlic
Sauteed Pea Tendrils with Garlic

Enjoy!

Beets: Part I - Oven Roasted Beets

There's something amazing about fresh roasted beets that I love.  Tossed with just a bit of balsamic vinegar, fresh California nuovo oilio olive oil, and coarse sea salt, it's absolutely delicious.  Beets are also really healthy.  Many people who juice for health will choose to add beet juice as part of their diet.  Beets are chock full of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C and bioflavenoids.  They also have other minerals, such as chlorine, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, and potassium.

As a vast majority of the Farmer's Markets in Boston are now closed, I went to my local Whole Foods market and picked up 6 beets + stalk!

Preheat the oven to around 400 degrees.  I scoured a bunch of recipes, and oven temperature ranged from 350 to 425.  My guess is that it doesn't matter that much, so I picked a nice in between number, which worked fine.

Cut off the stalk (save it!) and scrub the beats clean.  I used a vegetable brush, which makes the job a lot easier!

Toss the beets with some olive oil.

And wrap tightly in aluminum foil.  Roast in oven for about an hour.  The time will vary a lot depending on how big your beets are.  Mine were pretty huge, so they actually took over an hour before they were done.  You can pierce with a knife - if the knife goes in pretty easily, then the beet is done.

Remove and let cool.

Some people like to remove the skin at this point. This makes for a smoother surface. I didn't think this was necessary, and I really didn't feel like getting my hands all beet-y red, so I just left the skins on.

Chop, season toss with a balsamic vinegar, salt, and olive oil to taste. If your beets are not super sweet, you can also add a bit of sugar.  You can optionally add some cheese, a strong cheese to offset the beets, such as goat cheese or blue cheese, will work best.

Oh, and those beet greens!  Don't forget about those!  Stay tuned for Part II of the beets post! Here's Part II of the post, which discusses how to cook this nutritious vegetable!

Enjoy!

Beets: Part I - Oven Roasted Beets

There's something amazing about fresh roasted beets that I love.  Tossed with just a bit of balsamic vinegar, fresh California nuovo oilio olive oil, and coarse sea salt, it's absolutely delicious.  Beets are also really healthy.  Many people who juice for health will choose to add beet juice as part of their diet.  Beets are chock full of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C and bioflavenoids.  They also have other minerals, such as chlorine, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, and potassium.

As a vast majority of the Farmer's Markets in Boston are now closed, I went to my local Whole Foods market and picked up 6 beets + stalk!

Preheat the oven to around 400 degrees.  I scoured a bunch of recipes, and oven temperature ranged from 350 to 425.  My guess is that it doesn't matter that much, so I picked a nice in between number, which worked fine.

Cut off the stalk (save it!) and scrub the beats clean.  I used a vegetable brush, which makes the job a lot easier!

Toss the beets with some olive oil.

And wrap tightly in aluminum foil.  Roast in oven for about an hour.  The time will vary a lot depending on how big your beets are.  Mine were pretty huge, so they actually took over an hour before they were done.  You can pierce with a knife - if the knife goes in pretty easily, then the beet is done.

Remove and let cool.

Some people like to remove the skin at this point. This makes for a smoother surface. I didn't think this was necessary, and I really didn't feel like getting my hands all beet-y red, so I just left the skins on.

Chop, season toss with a balsamic vinegar, salt, and olive oil to taste. If your beets are not super sweet, you can also add a bit of sugar.  You can optionally add some cheese, a strong cheese to offset the beets, such as goat cheese or blue cheese, will work best.

Oh, and those beet greens!  Don't forget about those!  Stay tuned for Part II of the beets post! Here's Part II of the post, which discusses how to cook this nutritious vegetable!

Enjoy!

Sel de la Terre (lunch)

We visited Sel de la Terre in Natick back in June to celebrate a friend's graduation.  While we thought the food was pretty good for the suburbs, we were not that impressed over all.  However, we had heard that the Boston location was better.  Furthermore, Will Gilson from Garden at the Cellar told me it was one of the places he likes to frequent.

So, since we were doing some Black Friday shopping in the neighborhood, we decided to check it out.  We both were intrigued by the value of the prix fixe, which offered a two-course lunch for only $14.

Course 1: Tuna tartine on crostini and a mixed green salad
The tuna tartine (i.e. tuna salad) was enjoyable.  The flavors were decent, though nothing particularly exciting.  The mixed green salad, on the other hand, was rather over-salted.  I was a little disappointed.

Course 2: Duck Confit risotto
The duck confit risotto was pretty good.  There was some sort of wine reduction on the side that gave the risotto a nice deep flavor.  The parsley that decorated the dish also gave a pungent kick to the creamy, cheesy rice dish.  Over all it was solid, and a pretty good value, price-wise.

But you know what was the most enjoyable dish?


Along with the truffle fries at Garden at the Cellar and the rosemary fries at Sorrelina, these are amongst the top fries available in Boston, at least in our humble opinion.  Texture-wise, they were almost identical to the ones at Sorellina.  Narrow cut fries that were airy, light and crispy on the outside yet moist and potato-ey on the inside.  Some fries near the top were slightly over-salted, but not too badly.  I still ate most of them! And the ones at the bottom were fine.

Over all, I think it's still premature for me to gauge this restaurant based on one prix fixe menu and a basket of fries.  So far, I think it's only OK, but I do think I need to come back and at least try the dinner menu before really giving an over all assessment.

For now, I think the lunch menu is rather reasonable, with all sandwiches under $10 and most main entrees $15-$16.  If I come again, I'll try something other than the prix fixe just to get an idea of what some of the more expensive meals taste like.  I remember trying the cheapest "Neighborhood Menu" at Craigie Street Bistrot years back and not being wow-ed the first time I went.  It wasn't until I tried the Chef's Tasting Menu that I realized how amazing a cook Tony Maws really is.

As a general rule, it's true.  You get what you pay for.  :)  Don't order the budget menu if you want to see a chef at the top of his or her game.

Sel de la Terre
774 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02199

Sel de la Terre (lunch)

We visited Sel de la Terre in Natick back in June to celebrate a friend's graduation.  While we thought the food was pretty good for the suburbs, we were not that impressed over all.  However, we had heard that the Boston location was better.  Furthermore, Will Gilson from Garden at the Cellar told me it was one of the places he likes to frequent.

So, since we were doing some Black Friday shopping in the neighborhood, we decided to check it out.  We both were intrigued by the value of the prix fixe, which offered a two-course lunch for only $14.

Course 1: Tuna tartine on crostini and a mixed green salad
The tuna tartine (i.e. tuna salad) was enjoyable.  The flavors were decent, though nothing particularly exciting.  The mixed green salad, on the other hand, was rather over-salted.  I was a little disappointed.

Course 2: Duck Confit risotto
The duck confit risotto was pretty good.  There was some sort of wine reduction on the side that gave the risotto a nice deep flavor.  The parsley that decorated the dish also gave a pungent kick to the creamy, cheesy rice dish.  Over all it was solid, and a pretty good value, price-wise.

But you know what was the most enjoyable dish?


Along with the truffle fries at Garden at the Cellar and the rosemary fries at Sorrelina, these are amongst the top fries available in Boston, at least in our humble opinion.  Texture-wise, they were almost identical to the ones at Sorellina.  Narrow cut fries that were airy, light and crispy on the outside yet moist and potato-ey on the inside.  Some fries near the top were slightly over-salted, but not too badly.  I still ate most of them! And the ones at the bottom were fine.

Over all, I think it's still premature for me to gauge this restaurant based on one prix fixe menu and a basket of fries.  So far, I think it's only OK, but I do think I need to come back and at least try the dinner menu before really giving an over all assessment.

For now, I think the lunch menu is rather reasonable, with all sandwiches under $10 and most main entrees $15-$16.  If I come again, I'll try something other than the prix fixe just to get an idea of what some of the more expensive meals taste like.  I remember trying the cheapest "Neighborhood Menu" at Craigie Street Bistrot years back and not being wow-ed the first time I went.  It wasn't until I tried the Chef's Tasting Menu that I realized how amazing a cook Tony Maws really is.

As a general rule, it's true.  You get what you pay for.  :)  Don't order the budget menu if you want to see a chef at the top of his or her game.

Sel de la Terre
774 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02199

Foodbuzz Festival Day 3: Good-by Brunch at Lulu

It has been so long since the Foodbuzz Festival that this post is really a bit late. Nevertheless, for completeness, I am wrapping things up.

This post describes the morning of Day 3 of the Foodbuzz Festival.  For the Day 1 Street food Fair, please click here.  For Day 2 morning , please click here (olive oil tasting) and here (Ferry Building Marketplace) and Day 2 afternoon (Tasting Pavilion) click here.  For Day 2 evening (Community Dinner), click here.

We enjoyed a delicious brunch sponsored by Nature's Pride.  Lulu restaurant took Nature's Pride bread and made various breakfast dishes, such as French Toast and grilled cheese sandwiches, out of Nature's Pride bread.

I met some more great people.  Here I met Shannon from Tri 2 Cook, who is also a Boston blogger, just like me!

Jaden from Steamy Kitchen is super friendly and just as funny and witty in person as she is in her blog.

Rachel from La Fuji Mama and Marc from No Recipes.  I had met Rachel earlier at the Tasting Pavillion and we really hit it off.  Marc is a fellow East coast blogger, from NYC, and was really friendly as well.

I had a fabulous time at the Foodbuzz Festival this year, and I really can't wait until the next one!  The best part was meeting so many wonderful people.  Of course, the food was fantastic as well.

Thanks Foodbuzz for all your hard work in planning this fabulous event!

Foodbuzz Festival Day 3: Good-by Brunch at Lulu

It has been so long since the Foodbuzz Festival that this post is really a bit late. Nevertheless, for completeness, I am wrapping things up.

This post describes the morning of Day 3 of the Foodbuzz Festival.  For the Day 1 Street food Fair, please click here.  For Day 2 morning , please click here (olive oil tasting) and here (Ferry Building Marketplace) and Day 2 afternoon (Tasting Pavilion) click here.  For Day 2 evening (Community Dinner), click here.

We enjoyed a delicious brunch sponsored by Nature's Pride.  Lulu restaurant took Nature's Pride bread and made various breakfast dishes, such as French Toast and grilled cheese sandwiches, out of Nature's Pride bread.

I met some more great people.  Here I met Shannon from Tri 2 Cook, who is also a Boston blogger, just like me!

Jaden from Steamy Kitchen is super friendly and just as funny and witty in person as she is in her blog.

Rachel from La Fuji Mama and Marc from No Recipes.  I had met Rachel earlier at the Tasting Pavillion and we really hit it off.  Marc is a fellow East coast blogger, from NYC, and was really friendly as well.

I had a fabulous time at the Foodbuzz Festival this year, and I really can't wait until the next one!  The best part was meeting so many wonderful people.  Of course, the food was fantastic as well.

Thanks Foodbuzz for all your hard work in planning this fabulous event!

An Asian Thanksgiving Feast

We enjoyed a fabulous meal at Bryan's aunt's home last night.  It was one of my first times ever eating a Chinese style Thanksgiving hybrid meal.

Even though Bryan's family is Chinese, they typically eat American style turkey for Thanksgiving.  This is partly because Bryan's mom learned how to make turkey from an American family in Utah when she first moved to the States.  Her turkey is fabulous, and her fixins are beyond amazing (below is a pic from last year).

Thanksgiving 2008

My family never ate turkey partly because my mom hated turkey, and partly because we were Taiwanese.  Instead, we would always enjoy a hot pot during Thanksgiving.

Thus, it was quite interesting to see what another Chinese family does during Thanksgiving.  In this case, duck replaces turkey, Chinese sticky rice replaces the stuffing (inside the duck!), and other traditional sides, such as corn and sweet potatoes, are given an Asian twist.  Check it out!

This spread of cold appetizers is popular at Chinese banquets as the first course. This particular spread includes marinated jelly fish in the center, soy sauce braised eggs (similar to tea eggs), 5-spice dried tofu, and soy sauce marinated beef shin.

Twice Cooked Pork with peppers and dried tofu

Pork Belly with Pickled Mustard Greens

Yams with Chinese beef sauce. Bryan thought this was a funny twist on the traditional sweet potatoes.  It was delicious, and one of the most popular dishes of the night.

Sauteed baby bok choy. This is a classic Chinese dish and always a favorite. For the recipe, click here.

Another twist on an American Thanksgiving classic. In this case, corn is stir fried with ground pork and Chinese seasonings. This was really good.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Hee hee, they actually made this after seeing that the meal was quite meat heavy and knowing that I LOVE vegetables. These were delicious. Roasted with olive oil and a bit of salt at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Yum.

The duck! Unlike a traditional turkey, this duck was filled with sticky rice!

They really stuffed it with TONS of sticky rice!  This dish was also delicious, and the other most popular dish of the night.  I think we ate the whole duck with no leftovers to spare! The skin was nice and crispy, and the meat moist and flavorful.

Dessert was purely American. Bryan's cousin made an awesome apple pie from locally picked apples.

And of course, the vanilla bundt loaf that I brought.

All in all, a truly excellent meal. I'm thankful for relatives away from home who can adopt us during the holidays.

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving as well!

An Asian Thanksgiving Feast

We enjoyed a fabulous meal at Bryan's aunt's home last night.  It was one of my first times ever eating a Chinese style Thanksgiving hybrid meal.

Even though Bryan's family is Chinese, they typically eat American style turkey for Thanksgiving.  This is partly because Bryan's mom learned how to make turkey from an American family in Utah when she first moved to the States.  Her turkey is fabulous, and her fixins are beyond amazing (below is a pic from last year).

Thanksgiving 2008

My family never ate turkey partly because my mom hated turkey, and partly because we were Taiwanese.  Instead, we would always enjoy a hot pot during Thanksgiving.

Thus, it was quite interesting to see what another Chinese family does during Thanksgiving.  In this case, duck replaces turkey, Chinese sticky rice replaces the stuffing (inside the duck!), and other traditional sides, such as corn and sweet potatoes, are given an Asian twist.  Check it out!

This spread of cold appetizers is popular at Chinese banquets as the first course. This particular spread includes marinated jelly fish in the center, soy sauce braised eggs (similar to tea eggs), 5-spice dried tofu, and soy sauce marinated beef shin.

Twice Cooked Pork with peppers and dried tofu

Pork Belly with Pickled Mustard Greens

Yams with Chinese beef sauce. Bryan thought this was a funny twist on the traditional sweet potatoes.  It was delicious, and one of the most popular dishes of the night.

Sauteed baby bok choy. This is a classic Chinese dish and always a favorite. For the recipe, click here.

Another twist on an American Thanksgiving classic. In this case, corn is stir fried with ground pork and Chinese seasonings. This was really good.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Hee hee, they actually made this after seeing that the meal was quite meat heavy and knowing that I LOVE vegetables. These were delicious. Roasted with olive oil and a bit of salt at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Yum.

The duck! Unlike a traditional turkey, this duck was filled with sticky rice!

They really stuffed it with TONS of sticky rice!  This dish was also delicious, and the other most popular dish of the night.  I think we ate the whole duck with no leftovers to spare! The skin was nice and crispy, and the meat moist and flavorful.

Dessert was purely American. Bryan's cousin made an awesome apple pie from locally picked apples.

And of course, the vanilla bundt loaf that I brought.

All in all, a truly excellent meal. I'm thankful for relatives away from home who can adopt us during the holidays.

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving as well!