{"id":8868,"date":"2012-02-23T10:27:39","date_gmt":"2012-02-23T18:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=8868"},"modified":"2013-09-23T18:03:14","modified_gmt":"2013-09-24T01:03:14","slug":"5-star-makeover-beets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/5-star-makeover-beets\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Star Makeover: Beets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Beet<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

This month’s 5 Star Makeover Challenge <\/strong>is BEETS. Beets are at peak season in the winter months and our challenge is to make them shine in ways you may never have considered. Five Star Makeover is hosted by the lovely and talented Natasha of 5 Star Foodie<\/a> and Laz, the creative mastermind behind Lazaro Cooks<\/a>. I’m honored to be a part of this inspiring group of culinary artists and each month I strive to rise to the challenge and still bring you a heart healthy recipe that you can make at home without spending half the day in the kitchen!<\/p>\n

As soon as the challenge is announced my mind begins churning, and this month found me trying all sorts of different things with beets. Fortunately, we both like beets – beets can be very polarizing, you either love ’em or hate ’em. My first idea was to put a Russian spin on it – red beets are especially appreciated in Slavic countries – take borscht for instance. Although borscht is important in Russian and Polish cuisines, the Ukraine is frequently cited as its place of origin. But I’ve already posted a borscht<\/a> – wonderful earthy, sweet flavors from roasted beets with a creative twist (horseradish feta cream). I had to come up with something more original!\u00a0 An article about Muscovites spending summer weekends at their cottages called dachas<\/em> in the countryside and the foods for a dacha grilling party led to vodka which led to my mulling a jar of beet infused vodka on my countertop. Easy to make – but definitely an acquired taste. I’ll be concocting a cocktail soon… can’t let good vodka go to waste.<\/p>\n

\"Beet<\/a><\/p>\n

I really wanted to make the most gorgeous beet ravioli<\/a> that I saw on the Italian Dish for Valentine’s Day, but I don’t have a pasta maker (more experienced pasta makers would roll it out by hand) and I kind of ran out of time – February is a really short month! So I pinned it on my Eat Drink Love board<\/a> for future inspiration – maybe next Valentine’s Day \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

In the end I decided to change up the ubiquitous beet and goat cheese salad and give you not one, but two, twists on it that are simple + seasonal, full of flavor, easy to make, and heart healthy – they’re both gluten free, too. I’m all about seasonal, farm to table, and buying local and I write about\/support\/promote restaurants that practice this, but it means that I’ve eaten and photographed a lot \u00a0of beets on a bed of greens lately. Inspiration for the elegant presentation for my 5 Star Beet Salad goes to That Jew Can Cook <\/a>– I spied his photograph on one of those food porn sites and found his name amusing. This elegant dish received a call back for my intimate Oscar party for 2 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"Five<\/a><\/p>\n

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