Sauteed Beet Greens and Carrots with Quinoa |

Last summer I learned about beet tops, or beet greens, as an addition to the wonderful things that our garden produced! I am sure that I could have figured out that there would be some sort of “top” or leaves to the growing beet plant, but I suppose I was a bit ignorant of the fact that those greens were edible. I am glad that I learned about them because what a waste it would be to just toss those nutrient-rich leafy-greens away!

The tender, young leaves make a great addition to a salad, giving just a slight, fresh taste of beets. Whether using younger or a bit older beet tops, they can be used to make an incredible wilted greens dish. Don’t forget to use the bright beet-red stalks, either because that would be a shame to waste those as well! The recipe that I will be sharing with you today is just that…sautéed beet greens and carrots {with a lot of other flavorful veggies thrown in the mix too}. I served it alongside quinoa cooked in chicken broth. A-mazing…that’s all I can say. It was a healthy and satisfying meal and I look forward to making this many more times this summer, as growth in the garden allows! Enjoy! -Shelley.

Sautéed Beet Greens and Carrots

2 T olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
6 c beet greens/tops with stems, stems separated from leaves {stems cut 1/2″ pieces, leaves coarsely chopped}
salt and pepper – to taste
1 T Aminos All-Purpose seasoning {optional}

Start by chopping and prepping all of the vegetables. Once everything is cut, heat a large skillet on high heat and add oil. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Sauté a few minutes to start to soften veggies. Next add chopped beet stems and sauté a couple of more minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add beet greens and mix in. It won’t take long for them to start to wilt. Cook for just a minute or two, to allow to continue to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and Aminos seasoning, if desired. Serve with a side of quinoa.

Quinoa

There isn’t a specific recipe that I used to make the quinoa. It is pretty much just like cooking rice. Use twice as much liquid as quinoa to be cooked. For example: if cooking 1 cup of dried quinoa, add 2 cups of liquid to be cooked in. The only thing that I do differently from cooking rice is that I rinse the quinoa first. Once it is done cooking, fluff quinoa with a fork before serving.

I cooked the quinoa this time in the rice cooker and it turned out great. I also used chicken broth instead of water which added a great flavor. Vegetable broth would be equally delicious!