So here’s something new I’m going to try on the blog–a featured food each week! As a cheap-ass thrifty single gal, I tend to buy what’s on sale and stock up on deals. This is a great way to stay on budget, but it often means I have to eat a lot of one ingredient over the course of the week. Foodies and non-foodies alike often raise an eyebrow (“You ate cabbage how many meals in a row this week??”), but focusing on one ingredient doesn’t mean your food has to be boring, unbalanced or uninteresting. And today I’m going to beet, err, beat, that point home!
This bundle was something of a splurge–$3.50 at the farmer’s market–but they looked so fresh and delicious, and I knew I could more than get my money’s worth. How do you stretch out (and not get bored by) a bundle of beets? Let me show you my stingy frugal ways!
Featured Food: Beets
A beautiful plate of pan-seared lemon-thyme tilapia with roasted beets, garlic chevre and greens…
A “Red Velvet” Greek yogurt plate….
A quick to-go salad with roasted beets, chicken and garlic-pepper sugar peas…
Beet stem “noodles” (Boodles?) and tilapia with this lick-the-blender-good pad thai sauce…
(And if using beet stems as noodles doesn’t count as #strangebutgood, well, then I just don’t know what does.)
(Unpictured) Remaining “boodles” chopped up and scrambled with egg for breakfast…
And beet beat a drum-roll for the GRAND finale…
A grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with fresh local goat cheese, roasted beet slices, and sauteed beet greens…Seriously.
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So there you have it: One bundle of beets, 6 unique and gourmet-ish meals, no repeats! For a grand total of about $12.74, “pricey” local beets, chicken and goat cheese included. And if you’d be bored with this week’s selection of eats, well, there’s just no pleasing some folk I suppose.
Favorite way to use beets?
Should I make a Featured Food a weekly thing?
ForgottenBeast 
Beet grilled cheese?! Omg, I love it!! Can’t believe I’ve never thought of that before! And I’ll have to give the “boodles” a try! Most of the time the market where I get mine only sells the beets themselves…no greens! š¦
I think the weekly feature is a great idea…you know I’m no stranger to repeat veggies…that reminds me…are you peeing pink yet? š
THAT WAS MY EXACT THOUGHT: “Her pee must be so pink it’s red.” š
And now I really want some beets. Even the canned pickled ones would suffice.
Ahaha, have I GOT a story about the pink pee! As in, I was randomly selected for the company drug screen this week. Even more awkward than regularly handing someone a cup of your pee? Handing them a cup of your RED pee. And having to explain that, no, you aren’t bleeding internally, you just really like beets…
Red pea in a cup; now that’s fantastic. Best beet pea story ever!!
I remember the first time it happened, and I thought something was wrong with me. Ha.
Omg, that’s awesome! Oh to see the look on their faces! Lol
Beet stems as noodles is 100% #strangebutgood!! But I’m voting that sandwich the winner. Can you deliver one to this airplane?
I’ll just toss one up in the air while you fly over, and you can reach out and grab it š
I like the idea of doing a featured food each week! I haven’t been able to get on the beet bandwagon. I don’t mind them but still don’t love it!
OH MY GOD THAT GRILLED CHEESE.
I can only imagine that their roasty sweetness tastes AMAZING with the salty, tangy cheese.
Whenever I buy a ton of something, I often end up pickling or freezing some of it. Pickled beets are actually my favorite beets and I like them on pretty much anything. Fuchsia food all week!
And, yes! You should definitely make Featured Food a weekly thing š
The freezer is definitely my friend! And it seems like a general consensus of “yes” for featured food. Alriiight, more justification for my weird eating ways ;D What would we do without the HLB community??
I suddenly have Michael J’s “Beat It” playing in my head…and I kinda love it :)! I haven’t had beets in forever but I think that needs to change stat! I especially love them in salads with chevre & balsamic…or beetroot juice! That being said, my next use of them will have to be in a grilled cheese- genius much!!!
Ahaha, “Just Beet It” was my working title for this post…but I changed it at the last minute.
Wow you really got creative. That grilled cheese looks tasty!
Beets and goat cheese are a match made in heaven. Love that combo! š
You ARE a cheap ass, but it’s one of your finer qualities. Beets are so dang delicious. One of my favorite vegetables. You definitely did it justice. The boodles are cracking me up. Did you steam them up or eat them raw?
Steamed until they were pleasantly limp and noodle-y! And I can’t believe I hadn’t had beets for months before this. So good, fo’ shizzle.
I hope you’ll change that. I’m currently eating beets for lunch!
I love beets and when I lived on my own I used to buy them all the time because they’re cheap!
Beet grilled cheese sandwich 0.0 Woaaah…
You should totally try making borsch which is basically a beet, carrot, potato, and cabbage soup. So good and very cheap.
Oh man, I LOVE borscht, especially with a dollop of sour cream in the middle. It’s a summertime love, and it JUST SO HAPPENS to be summertime now ;D Wish beets were cheap around here! But totally worth the price.
Well now I just HAVE to go get beets…
I love the featured food idea! Haha I’m just like you in my cheap err frugal ways! I don’t know if it’s because I’m relatively new to cooking but I actually don’t get sick of my respective meal of the week. Maybe I will in time? I love all the beet recipes. Beets are my fave- I’d like to try that beet stem idea! I made a lettuce wrap with beets and cinnamon last night and it was quite tasty!
I’ve found I can eat the exact same thing for three days in a row, but as soon as those three days are up? No way I’m touching it again. Plus I have more free time in the kitchen than I used to, so it’s more fun to get unique each time. If I was packing lunches for work? Yup, repetitive stew time š Beets and cinnamon are spectacular together!
I have no idea why, but beets scare the shit outta me. I’ve never tried one, but for some reason I have it in my mind that they aren’t good. Obviously I’m wrong after this post, Ha Ha!
Yes! Make this a thing. Because I’m in the same boat. I have started freezing stuff though, so I’ll have the same thing a couple days, then freeze the other meals for when I’m lazy. Which is a lot.
AND THAT GRILLED CHEESE OMG.
I’m such a child, but beets have always scared me! It’s so stupid, but I’ve always assumed I’m going to hate them! My Mom put them into a meal last week, and I had no idea they were in there, and I ended up loving them! So weird! Love this featured food idea!
I love BEETS! Wowzers on sale! I am so sad there are less and less organic produce markets (besides Whole Foods) near me. My Ralph’s used to have a HUGE selection at great prices but they now only have lettuce organic along with the typical carrots and celery. I will have to give the beets in a sandwich a try sounds delicious! Sending you a great weekend š Love + Shine CourtStar
No surprise here, but I LOVE the grilled cheese. That was freakin’ genius, and I am super impressed you used the stems. All the hard core farm folks around here use the stems of everything (beets, carrots, radishes, etc), but I’m too skittish to go there…maybe this year. In the meantime, I compost them, so it’s not all bad. You though, using the stems, yep I bow before you.
What a crazy wonderful grilled cheese!!! I’m ready!
I have to admit.. I’ve never even tried beets. They have always just scared me, but a beet grilled cheese is something I may be willing to try. It looks awesome š