Beeting the Pavement: Beet, Berry, Banana Smoothie

Spring. We've been waiting for it after a looooong, cold winter. But even as the daffodils show up, and the first bit of sun feels so good, spring is ... painful. As in spring training. Pavement pounding runs. At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, spring gets a little more painful each year. Good thing my head, at least, is harder than my glutes. Hard enough to commit myself to a sprint triathlon in a couple months.

While the internet is rife with quick, easy weight loss "miracle" cures, and all kinds of snake oil, I know the only road is the slow, painful, and the only way to get there is keep training and eat right. Even beets. Which, believe it or not, are a lot less painful than lifting weights after age 40.

I recall asking my folks, as a kid, if beets were good for you. There was not exactly chart-topping "vitamin" content from the basics understood at the time about what few nutrients were desirable. I didn't love them, they were okay. And sure, the little cubes from the can were fun to stack on my plate and all. So, why did I need to eat them? Turns out, its a good thing I did.

It seems odd that just now, after centuries of things like beets growing in the garden, that scientists have just begun to recognize the value of things like phytonutrients. Even so, no one knows exactly how much of these nutrients are "required" daily and they have yet to show up on a nutrition label. Yet beets are loaded with these very nutrients. Red beets, in particular, contain betacyanin and anthycyanin, which give the beet its lush, purple color. You know, that stain you cannot get out in the wash.

These phytonutrients have cancer fighting properties, for colon cancer in particular. They also provide a form of dietary nitrates that are being studied as an endurance-booster for athletes, up to 16% better endurance according to this University of Exeter study.

As an aging "wanna-be" triathlete, I'll take any help I can get. Even if I don't run any longer as a result, this smoothie is good enough just to drink for the taste. Now, if I could just find the vegetable that prevents sore muscles from when "older" people try to train like we're still in our twenties ... Trust me, I'll post that recipe if I find it!

Beet, Berry, Banana Smoothie

3 beets, roasted, instructions below

2 cups frozen blueberries

1 banana

12 oz. 100 percent fruit juice (black cherry or berry)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the stems and leaves off the beets, saving the leaves for cooking as greens. Wash the beets and trim off the root end. Wrap the beets in foil. Roast in the oven for about an hour. Allow to cool enough to handle. Take a paper towel and rub each beet. The peel should rub off easily. You can store the beets in the fridge until you are ready to make the smoothies.

Place all ingredients in the blender. Blend well. Makes 6 one-cup servings.

What's Lucky, Sweet, Green and Dribbles? Sugar High Friday March Edition

I know, post something already. I am trying. To make up for the lack of posts, here's a special event for March; Sugar High Friday. SHF is the creation of Jennifer, the Domestic Goddess. You can read more about this sweet blog event at her site.

To celebrate all things spring, St. Patrick's and yes, March Madness too, you can post your favorite "lucky, green, post-game, or spring" dessert recipe in this round up by sending some information to farmerfare AT gmail DOT com. Please include:

Permalink to your post

Your Name, Blog Name, Recipe Name

Brief Summary of Your Recipe

And an image no bigger than 200x200 pixels

You must submit entries by MONDAY, March 22 to be entered. Post will be up last Friday in March.

If you don't have a blog, you can post a recipe in the comments section, or email it to me with your name for credit.

GET CREATIVE, WIN A BOOK!

Make the "Sweet Sixteen" with the recipes that come closest to hitting ALL of the March theme (St. Pat's, lucky, green, March Madness) and you will be entered in a drawing to WIN the book, Cooking Green.

Sometimes You Win

Lately the kiddo has been trying to assert herself over the dinner table. I tell you not much compares to the parental moment there. After nine hours of dealing with impossible deadlines and technical details at work, and an hour in traffic, I arrive home to mouths waiting to be fed with just enough time to set down the briefcase and pick up the spatula.

Through the miracle of leftovers, I can usually hit table service in 20 minutes. As I am patting myself on the back for this amazing feat and some relatively decent balanced meals there, I get this from the pint-sized food critic:

"I don't like that."

"Now, you did not even taste it, so how do you know?"

"I just don't."

There are a few choice items running through my mind. You'll sit down and eat it and like it, cause after a long day, that's all you get. Fine, go hungry. But, I worked so hard to make something you would like!

"Okay," I say. "You don't have to eat it if you try it and do not like it. But you should try it. That way I will know what you like, what you don't, and be able to fix things that work for us all."

She tried it.

"OH, I LOVE THIS!"

Yeah, sometimes you win. And sometimes, the kid just gets to be a little hungry leaving the table. Hard-headed and just a little bit hungry.

February Book Giveaway

First, congrats to Foodie32, winner of "How to Drink." Surely this is a valid pursuit during the pit of winter here. Think hot toddy.

For the rest of us, we hit the New Year all full of good intentions and resolutions, new diets and exercise regimen only to slam headlong into February's contrived holiday centered on chocolate. What cruel mockery is this when we are already down and longing for spring?

I say, pop a cork, toast that hairy little bugger who predicts six more weeks of bitter cold, and maybe consider what wine pairing would go best with GROUNDHOG CONFIT.

So, I am reading about passion this month. Passion for wine, passion for food. Two volumes by Deirdre Heekin. The first is Libation and is my giveaway this month. The book covers personal essays about Heekin's self-taught path to develop her sense of smell and palate to become the sommalier at Osteria Pane e Salute, the restaurant and wine bar she co-owns with chef husband, Caleb Barber. It offers an informative way to learn about wine through an easy-to-read narrative that is far less dry than a heavily-oaked Cabernet.


Heekin's second book, In Late Winter We Ate Pears, covers her and her chef husband's year of living in Italy. Part memoir, part food writing and part recipe book, the text serves up 80 recipes by season. Recipes include items like Red Snapper with Fennel Sauce and Fresh Figs with Balsamic and Mint.

If you would like to win yourself my copy of Libation, just leave a comment below here. I'll do a random number thing and the winner will be drawn from all who comment (Except spam comments. Because I remove those with a vengeance.).

Books courtesy of Chelsea Green Publishing.