Some vegetables are so popular that very few people can imagine not having them in their diet. Could you, for example, live without potatoes or tomatoes? Or (even if this is not your immediate thought) – without onions or garlic? The answer will probably be “no”. Simply, even if you don’t eat them raw, they are essential ingredients of so many meals.
But some other vegetables we use infrequently. We either don’t like them, we don’t know them, or we don’t know how to utilize them. In my opinion, beetroot belongs to that group of vegetables.
And this is such a shame because beets are so healthy. They are a very good source of fibre, potassium, folic acid, and manganese. Thanks to the beta cyanine, beetroot has detoxifying properties which make it especially healthy for the liver.
If you add to the list of benefits its positive influence on the heart (decreasing blood pressure), you shouldn’t be surprised some people even call it a superfood.
Although in the part of Europe where I come from we eat quite a lot of beetroot, I have a feeling we are stuck with a few dishes: beetroot soup (borscht), a simple side dish of grated and maybe a small variety of salads. All of these meals we make with cooked beetroot.
But do you know we can also eat raw beets? They probably won’t be as sweet as, e.g., the roasted ones but they will add a nice crunch to your salad. And obviously, they will be even healthier than the cooked beets.
When I was preparing the Raw Beet Salad, I used a mandolin slicer to cut all the vegetables into thin julienne. But you could simply coarsely grate them instead. Oh, and the last note: the Raw Beet Salad tastes even better the next day. Which is great news because you can prepare it in the evening and take it to school or work the next day.
