Lemon Balsamic Beets

The beets in Tom's garden are ruby red and delicious!  I relive my favorite childhood memories of planting and harvesting beets with my mom in her garden, then enjoying their sweetness together. Maybe that is why I asked Tom to plant more beets this year.  With each bite, I recall those fine summer days of long ago.  Our Duluth summer will come to a close all too quickly, but fortunately Tom's garden is doing remarkably well, as you can see in this photo from August 18.  That was just a portion of the harvest in a single day. Tom has been busy daily harvesting the bounty, while I have been trying to keep up with processing and cooking it all.  

One of my recent ways to add Pzazz to my food without fat or carbohydrates is to add flavored balsamic vinegar. The Rustic Olive is a new premium olive oil and balsamic vinegar "tasting bar" in Canal Park in Duluth. They carry an amazing line of flavored balsamic vinegar and high quality extra-virgin olive oils. I have never seen such an array of balsamic vinegar!  Blueberry, Espresso, Mango, Maple, Dark Chocolate, Pear, on and on it goes! Their Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar seemed like a good option to try for a variety of summer foods. I splashed some on my finely pulverized beets and let them marinate for about an hour before I ate them. Refreshing and lively!  Definitely my new favorite way to enjoy summer beets.   

As a side note, I read in a diabetes magazine sometime in the past year that there have been studies indicating that about a teaspoon of vinegar can help lower blood sugar for that meal. Fascinating.  I'll see if I can find that article again and do more research into the topic and report back to you.  Meanwhile, check out The Rustic Olive for Pzazz if you are in Duluth! Or stop by my house for an armful of kale, chard, beets, and a variety of summer squash that I will gladly share with you, my sweet friends!

Ingredients:
1 cup peeled and cooked sliced beets
1 teaspoon Sicilian Lemon white balsamic vinegar or more as desired (another type of white balsamic vinegar could be used)


Preparation:
I chopped the sliced,cooked beets in the chopper attachment of my Cuisinart Smart Stick. This gadget minced them so fine! Then I added the lemon balsamic vinegar and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. I garnished them with a sprig of lemon basil. Of course, a couple of flowers from the garden also added some Pzazz to the meal!

Nutrition per serving:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: About 3/4 cup
Calories: 57
Total Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 75 mg
Total Carbs: 14 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 2 g