Lately I’ve been experimenting with colour, like purple rice noodles, purple cabbage and purple onion. This week I’m feeling pink, and beets hit the spot. Traditionally used in borscht (the Russian soup), beets are high in fibre, iron and antioxidants, and have detoxing benefits.
But did you know this earthy root vegetable was consumed as an aphrodisiac by the ancient Romans? And legend has it that beets were eaten by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and desire, to enhance her beauty. This is because beets have a high level of the trace mineral boron, which can boost sex hormones.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, try this beet pesto made from sesame and walnuts. It’s rich, sweet and nutty at the same time. Perfect for pasta, rice (especially risotto), bread and crackers.
Easy beet pesto with sesame and walnuts
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Makes 3 servings
2 cans of beets or 3 large beets, roasted and peeled
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Place the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse into a uniform mixture while scraping the sides as needed.
- Stir the pesto into pasta or on top of rice.
- Garnish with fresh basil. Sprinkle more walnuts and red chili flakes or black pepper.
Note: roasting beets will take up to 90 minutes. Check out this video for salted roasted beets with tahini.
Lazy Vegans 