Beets with Oranges and Pecans: Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Here's another little recipe that is Specific Carbohydrate Diet safe.  I modified this recipe from the Cook's Illustrated magazine.  I was looking for a way to cook beets, one of the vegetables that I've long insisted I "hate."  It was just a bias thing.  And never did I dream I'd be searching for ways to make this unfairly maligned vegetable tasty.

It turns out, it wasn't so hard after all, when my latest copy of Cook's Illustrated showed up in the mail.

The original recipe calls for brown sugar. . . . definitely not allowed for SCD.  But honey is wonderfully welcome, which makes the whole diet much, much more palatable.

Walnuts give me problems, but I can substitute pecans very happily. The recipe also did not originally call for the actual orange pieces, but I liked the slightly surprising change in texture and taste showing up throughout this salad-like treat.



INGREDIENTS
3 beets, trimmed and cut in half
1 1/4 c water
salt and pepper
3 T white vinegar
1 T honey
1/2 red or yellow onion
1 t orange peel or zest
1/2 c pecans, toasted and chopped
1 t parsley
1 t thyme
1 orange, peeled, and in pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place beets in single layer in Dutch oven. Add water and 1/4 t salt;;
bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about
45 to 50 minutes, until beets tender
2. Remove beets. Increase temperature of pan and reduce cooking
liquid, stirring, until pan is almost dry, 5 to 6 min. Add vinegar and
honey; return to boil; and cook, stirring constantly with heat-resistant
spatula, until spatula leaves a wide trail when dragged through,
about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. When beets are cool enough to handle, rub skin off with a paper
towel and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Add beets, onion, orange peel,
1/2 salt and 1/4 t pepper to glaze and toss to coat. Transfer beets to
serving dish; sprinkle with pecans, parsley, oranges and thyme; serve.


I also liked it served cold more than warm, so it was an excellent addition to my lunch over the next several days after I made it.

Give it a try! Beets are actually quite nutritious and have great digestive properties.