14: It's almost awkward to admit...

but I am going to miss living in a country that loves it some beets....

(not to be confused with "The Beets", a popular rock group from Doug)

Reasons why I love them and you should too:

1. They're delicious

2. They're probably one of the prettiest colors you can put in your food

3. WHY NOT?!

4. They're good for you-they are a great source of iron, can boost your immune system, they have 0 (yes, that's right, ZERO) trans or saturated fat, a great source of instant energy, they contain magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, C, and niacin, they contain folic acid (which aids in the production/maintenance of new cells), and are believed to help guard against some types of cancer and heart disease.

5. They are sooooooo cheap! Especially in Russia! If I recall correctly I paid about 5 rubles (about 17 cents) for 3 or 4 whole beets. Of course the down side was that I had to boil and skin them myself, but WHO CARES! They're wonderful!

6. They are a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth! They're a naturally sweet food, and great to use when you're craving a meal with just a hint of natural sweetness.

It just so happens that I used beets at dinner tonight....

Dachelle's Super Bizarre "Why are there beets in this?!" Dinner!

What you will need:

• 1 beet, pre-cooked/skinned, sliced and cut (if it's your first beets experience, you may want to slice them thinly and cut them thinly across as well)
• 1 chicken breast, sliced thinly
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 an apple, cut into match-stick size pieces
• 1 beer 
• flour
• basil
• cinnamon
• a garlic-based seasoning (at home I would suggest Adobo, my favorite go-to seasoning)
• salt & pepper
• soba noodles (to serve the dish over)

How to cook:

• In a skillet, heat butter, allow onions to cook until tender, add beets and apple
• In a small bowl, mix flour and water which will be combined to skillet in order to thicken the mixture
• Add flour/water to pan
• Stir until flour/water mixture is fully combined with ingredients
• Add 1/2 cup of beer
• Season with salt, adobo, pepper, and basil
• Allow to cook until the mixture has become thick like a stew, add cinnamon to taste

   -In a separate pan....

• Pan-grill chicken, season with pepper
• Once chicken is cooked, add beet stew to pan

Serve over soba noodles, and enjoy!

*I added a bit of soy sauce to my noodles before adding the chicken and beets on top, it sounds a taaad bit crazy with all of the flavors already going on, but I have never been told that I've made anything absolutely disgusting before in my life, so I think you can trust me.....unless I'm trying to get you to make TERRIBLE food....maybe.

It was my first time making something with beets that didn't involve throwing them over a salad or turning them into soup. If you're skeptical, I will be making this at home, so beware!

Dream.Love.Discover (that your fingers are now stained red from all the fun you had with beautiful beets!),

Dachelle