we got the beet(s)

The spring season for our CSA is in full swing, which means I've been forced to get creative with a lot of produce that I would probably never buy in the grocery store under normal circumstances. Since this is our second year with the CSA, I've had plenty of practice with greens, turnips and dill. I've even come to love collards! But the one vegetable that was piling up in my crisper, causing me to scratch my head week after week, was none other than... the beet.

Allow me to explain. My parents were not exactly epicureans when it came to mealtime. Most of our dinners were variations of hamburgers, boiled hot dogs, and spaghetti and meatballs. While my mom did feed us vegetables, they mostly came from cans and were served doused in butter. Needless to say, beets were not something I ever ate, let alone something that I knew how to cook.

A few weeks ago, on the advice of many beet-loving friends, I roasted one in the oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper. It was not bad, and I liked the red stain that the peeling and chopping left on my hands. But I knew there was more to the beet than meets the eye. I knew there was a possibility for a delicacy that was evading me. And that's when I stumbled across Mango Power Girl's recipe for Sweet Beet Muffins.

Just look at those gorgeous photos! So artistic! So delicious! And that recipe list - roasted beets, almonds and raisins, ginger and cinnamon! How could I resist? And why would I want to?

I did, of course, make a few changes. I substituted soymilk for regular milk in order to make the recipe vegan. I also made Sweet Beet Bread instead of muffins. My muffin tin only makes six muffins at a time and I didn't want to have to cook in batches. Laziness wins again! Also, I skipped the pink whipped cream, even though it was the prettiest part of MPG's photos. In the end, my beet bread is not quite as lovely as the original, but I'm fairly certain that (had I not accidentally dumped three times the amount of baking soda required into the mix) it's just as tasty.

Oh, and speaking of beats...