Cool Down with Summer "Beets"

Attending a wedding in Atlanta in the peak of summer is tough, especially when it's outdoors. I sweat as though I was working out for 2 hours. What a feeling! Nevertheless, it was my friend's wedding and I wanted to be there for him. I bore the heat in good spirits and returned home to Jersey where the weather was a bit cooler. Since I've been back, the weather has been temperamental; hot one day and rainy the next day.
Don't get me wrong, I like sunny weather, but not when it's humid and/or sticky. What better way to cool down in the summer than with dishes made from yogurt like raitas. With so many varieties to choose from, sometimes it's tough to pick just one. One of my favorites is with beetroot. The creamy, slightly sweet flavor of the beetroot raita goes well with seasoned rice, Indian flatbreads and/or chips. All this talk of food is making me hungry. Well, let's start cooking...here's the recipe.

Interesting Fact: Beet root is also used as a dye.

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Beet root, peeled and grated
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• ½ cup Low Fat Sour Cream
• 2 to 3 Green Chilies, cut lengthwise
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Whole Cumin seeds 
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 7 Curry leaves, optional

Procedure:

In a microwaveable bowl, add grated beet root and mix in salt. Then sprinkle a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Microwave it for 5 minutes or until cooked and then set aside. Add yogurt and sour cream to the cooked beet root and mix well. In a small saucepan, heat one tablespoon of oil. Once you feel the heat on your palm, add mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves. When the mustard and cumin start to splutter, turn off the heat and transfer the contents into the beet root and yogurt mixture. Mix well. The beet root raita is now ready to be served. Enjoy!!

***Quick Tips:
Also check out Seasoned Beet root rice with carrots and peas. It's very tasty. We even added French's fried onions for a crunchy texture. 

HO HO HO Holiday Rice With Beets!!

 

Have we got a treat for you! We decided to spread some holiday cheer by cooking up this colorful and healthy rice dish for everyone to enjoy during the holidays. We call it HO HO HO Holiday Rice. We prepared it just in time for Christmas...so even Santa can have a taste.  I figured he's so used to eating cookies that he might like to try something new.

Main Ingredients

You can make 6-8 servings by using the ingredients listed below:

• 1 large Beet Root, peeled and grated
• 1½ cups Rice (prefer Basmati), washed and cooked
• ½ cup Carrots & Peas (frozen)
• 4 Green chilies, split lengthwise
• 1" piece Ginger, chopped finely
• 1/8 cup Fried onions
• 1½ tbsp MTR Vangibhath powder
• 4-5 leaves Curry leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp each Whole Mustard and Cumin
• 1 tbsp Black Gram Dal (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp Vegetable oil
• Salt, as needed

Procedure:

1) Cook rice with little less water than normal so that it separates individual grains. After the rice is done, separate it with a wooden spatula and add a tbsp oil to avoid sticking.
2) Heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard and cumin seeds, when they splutter, add the gram dal and stir until it is golden brown (1-2 min). Add green chilies and ginger and stir for 1min and add grated beetroot and ½ tsp salt mix well and place the lid and cook for 4-5 min.

3) Add another tsp of salt and cooked rice in portions mixing it with season until it is uniform. Mix in fried onions, frozen carrots & peas and vangibath powder, stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

4) Serve it hot garnished with fresh coriander.