Beets -- they're nature's candy don'tcha know!

Beets are an amazing root vegetable. You can juice raw beets, blend them in smoothies, roast them, or boil them, and they always provide an incredible color to your dish. Tonight, I had a pink dinner, because I ate beets with quinoa (which is a complete protein).

Here's the recipe:

Beetroot, Orange Kissed (from The Boxing Clever Cookbook by Jacqui Jones and Joan Wilmot):

1 lb beetroot (about 2 cups), scrubbed but not topped and tailed
1 tbsp butter or margerine (could probably cut this down to 1/2 tbsp)
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 c. orange juice
2 tbsp brown sugar (could probably use maple syrup or other sweetener, or even leave it out completely)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp raisins (optional)

1. Place beetroot in a saucepan with cold, salted water (leave on the tail, and at least 1" of the top). Bring to a boil, cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hr, or until cooked.
2. Drain, allow the beets to cool, peel and slice to bite-sized pieces. This will stain your fingers.
3. In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter or margerine, and add the cornstarch, orange juice, brown sugar, ginger, salt and pepper. Stir continuously until thick. (I think things thicken up faster if you heat all the ingredients and then add the cornstarch. Just be careful not to let the cornstarch make your sauce clumpy if you do it that way.)
4. Add the beetroot and raisins to the sauce, and heat through.
Garnish with strips of orange peel if you would like.

I served my beets with quinoa that I had cooked according to the package directions, except I used 1 cup of water and 1 cup of orange juice to 1 c. quinoa, rather than all water. I also added a little bit of ginger. The quinoa could have used some more oomph. Adding a sauteed onion would have been nice, and some shredded carrot couldn't have hurt.