A vibrant, nutritious vegetable that brightens up any meal
Beetroot is a delicious root vegetable popular in both New Zealand and Australia as a vibrant and healthy addition to traditional burgers.
What you may not know about beetroot is that they can be eaten in so many different ways as part of a healthy diet, beyond just the pickled form found on burgers.
Beetroot has a long growing season, from early Spring right the way through to late Autumn, so you can enjoy fresh beetroot throughout summer to brighten up your healthy meals in a variety of ways.
Fresh beetroot may just become your next favourite healthy food, as it can be roasted, boiled, or eaten raw for its tasty earthy and sweet flavour. The beetroot leaves can also be eaten, and make a good alternative to lettuce in a salad.
They not only taste great, but are also full of nutrition, being:
- Low in energy
- A source of fibre to help you feel full
- A good source of folate with a 75g serve providing 45% of your daily folate needs
- Rich in nitrates which may be good for your blood pressure
- A source of betacyanin, an antioxidant that is important for heart health
How to buy and store beetroot
Choose beetroot that feels heavy for its size and without any splitting or soft spots.
To keep your beets fresh, remove the stems (leaving about 2-3cm attached) before storing them. This is to increase their shelf life, as the leaves can pull moisture from the beetroot bulbs.
Store the beetroots in the veggie crisper section of the fridge for up to 10 days.
How to cook beetroot
Beetroot are well known for their bright colour, but this can be a pain to clean up. To keep the colour from staining your benches and hands, use the 2-3cm of stem to hold them during preparation, and remove before eating.
If you do make an accidental beet-red mess, bicarb soda can be helpful to remove any stains from your chopping board and other kitchenware.
There is no need to peel your beetroot before cooking, you can just scrub them under running water to remove any dirt or rough skin and then pat dry. If you’re not a fan of the skin, or it’s not required for the beetroot recipe you’re using, you can always remove it after baking or boiling by rubbing it with a paper towel (it’s easier to remove the skin after the beetroot is cooked).
To bake your beetroot, wrap the whole beet in foil and put in the oven on bake at 2000C for roughly 40-60 minutes, or until tender. If you’re short on time, you can also cut your beetroot into wedges to help it cook faster, or boil it in about 30 minutes.
You can also eat them raw – which many beetroot salad recipes call for – by grating or spiralizing them.
How to add beetroot to your Jenny Craig menu
Beetroot adds a tasty and colourful element to the Jenny Craig menu and can be served alongside any of the lunches or dinners – try adding it roasted, boiled, stir-fried, grated or spiralized.
For inspiration, check out our beetroot recipes for healthy meal ideas such as our Grated Carrot & Beetroot Salad or why not try a Beetroot Dip.
