Foodie Friday…Beetroot

We all know just how much I appreciate to follow the seasonal produce offerings for the benefits like…

• Variety of eating, which also means variety of nutrients;
• Means, I never get bored eating the same thing;
• It’s super cost effective;
• Gets me thinking creatively in the kitchen, and
• Of course when food is in season there is an abundance at great quality.

And of course, those who do know me well, also know that I enjoy a ‘sweet treat’ as I call it.  Being a bit sensitive to sweeteners I try to ensure with my sweet treats that they are not just a big hit of sugar (no matter the sweetener you choose to use), I also look to try and add nourishment to the treat.

You know, achieve a bit of balance.  Check out my recipe below, for these delicious chocolate beetroot muffins

Chocolate & Beetroot Muffins

I actually picked myself up some beetroot at the market recently and also created a delicious warm salad, together with some fresh wild rocket, roast sweet potato, toasted flaked almonds and sprinkled with goats cheese.  It was soooo good – we ate it with a piece of grilled salmon.

Beetroot is one of those cold, warm, sweet and savoury foods – don’t you just love versatile products.

 

The Seasons…

As you know I love to follow seasonal produce with my choices of clean eating.  For me this has several benefits:

• My body gets to experience nourishing on a variety of seasonal produce;
• I learn to try new things – both taste and texture;  You know step outside that comfort zone!
• I also learn different nutritional values;
• What makes my body thrive and what doesn’t!;
• When there is an abundant supply of produce, it usually translates to cost effective purchasing;

At the moment I am really enjoying nourishing on the pears that are in season.  As you know I like to purchase mostly organic produce and shop locally at weekend markets.  Here are some of the things I like to do with pears:

• A snack on their own – juicy and sweet!
• Add them to smoothies;
• Bake clean eating treats with them…some of my favourites are pear and chia muffins or pear and cardamom cake!
• Steam them in a little cinnamon
• You could add them to your morning porridge, oats or chia seed pudding…as we move into the cooler months of the year here in Brisbane!

Share with us some of your favourite ways to enjoy pears 🙂

 

BEETROOT DIP

Eat Seasonal!

Here it is! As I shared with you recently, beetroot is beautifully in season at present and talking to me each week at the markets, which is a great way to shop local, organic, seasonal and efficiently. It also teaches me to create, often times with ingredients I wouldn’t regularly use and I love growing from this experience. This means more to share with you:-)

The longest part is in the roasting of the beetroot…once that is done, it’s whipped up in about 15 minutes! An ideal snack for afternoon nibbles, great to take to social gatherings, picnics and more.

Did is you know beetroot is a great source of nutrients, including it’s richness in Folate and Manganese!  Enjoy:-)