Greens recipes??

[jennielynn1970]

Ok, my mom gave me a ton of red beets, which I've cooked and eaten. They were sooooooo yummy.

Anyone have recipes that use the greens from the beets?? Something southern and spicy and yummy, hopefully including bacon?! ;)

[Medusa]

Greens from the beets, no. Spinach, yes. Now would be a good time to ask: how do you cook beets? I've never cooked them fresh, only eaten them canned and they were ok but nothing I would go out of my way for.

[Freedom]

I LOVE beets, only ever got them from the can, no idea what to do with the fresh ones.

The only thing I know to use the greens for is toss them in a stew. Not really the weather for that.

[mruffruff]

Treat the beet tops just as you would spinach or any other greens.

After thoughly cleaning, Cut into hand-size pieces. Then you can boil them or fry them with your choice of seasonings. Bacon or ham is good. Maybe chopped garlic, salt and pepper, a little plain sugar. Experiment. Just don't overcook. They should be limp, but not mushy. Some people like to douse them with a shot of vinegar.

The beets themselves can be boiled just as you would potatoes. Don't let them get too mushy, either.

[Medusa]

The beets themselves can be boiled just as you would potatoes. Don't let them get too mushy, either.

And then what? Do you put butter on them or how do you season them?

[mruffruff]

You can put butter on them if you like. I usually just put salt and pepper on them.

I've used them in a hot Spinach salad too. This involves bacon and vinegar if I recall.

[CathyBogart]

I LOVE hot salads. The one I make goes something like this....

Chop up and saute whatever veggies you have handy with a little olive oil. (With or without bacon) Add chopped greens a handful at a time with a little salt, pepper, and garlic, until they're all wilted. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Easy and delicious.

[jennielynn1970]

Greens from the beets, no. Spinach, yes. Now would be a good time to ask: how do you cook beets? I've never cooked them fresh, only eaten them canned and they were ok but nothing I would go out of my way for.

I LOVE fresh red beets. My mom and dad have a farm, my dad was born there actually, and we've always had fresh veggies and fruits.

With the beets themselves, I just cut off the root part, scrub them to get off the dirt, and then cut off the tops.

They take a while to cook, and you have to watch the water level as they boil dry really easily. Once done, they are just about the tastiest things ever! Sweet, and just yummmmm! I can eat them plain, or with a little salt and butter, but really it's not needed. Remember to take the skin off them first though... maybe others eat them with it on, but it slides off very nicely after they're cooked.

I dated a few guys who's parents were either southern or not from the states (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and one guy from Ghana), and they made these outrageous dishes with greens and swiss chard and stuff, but I never saw how they made them. I really want to find a recipe that will be like those. There was definitely bacon, and some potato in them, and there had to be red pepper flakes or something, cause they were hot!


One side note with fresh beets.... if you eat them, be prepared for purple/red colored pee! :p

[jennielynn1970]

I LOVE hot salads. The one I make goes something like this....

Chop up and saute whatever veggies you have handy with a little olive oil. (With or without bacon) Add chopped greens a handful at a time with a little salt, pepper, and garlic, until they're all wilted. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Easy and delicious.

Oh! That sounds good!

Since I have a ton of greens from the beets, I'll have to try this. Need to go shopping for the bacon and other veggies first though.