Beets 2 ways: Raw beet salad and Pickle beets

There were crime against vegetables in my home as a kid.  I dont blame my mom, she cooked things the way her mom did.  But canned beet boiled to death?!  No wonder I thought I hated beets.  I have now learned differently.  Beets are wonderful... and fun to play CSI: Kitchen.  This week in my CSA share I received 4 large beautiful beets, garlic and another purple onion (yes!  I know they are really called red onions but they are really purple).  I decided I wanted to try something other then my usual, cook with butter and cinnamon.  I came up with a tangy raw beet salad and a single batch sweet & sour pickled beet.  They were super easy to do at the same time.

I had to take a picture to show perspective of how large these cloves of garlic are.  That is a quarter!

Amounts shown in recipes are for "normal" sized cloves, not these monstrosities.

Tangy Raw Beet Salad
2 md beets, peeled and julienne
1/2 md red/purple onion, cut as desired (Im not a huge onion fan so I diced mine)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Dressing
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs vinegar
2 tsp horseradish mustard (if your market doesnt carry this wonderful treat, just use Dijon)
1 Tbs lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

• In a bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and refrigerate
• Mix together prepared beets, onion and garlic
• Toss with dressing.
• Let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving to let flavors intensify

Sweet and Sour Pickled Beets

2 md beets, peeled and sliced

1/2 md red/purple onion, sliced

2 clove garlic, sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pickling brine:

1c vinegar

1c water

1/8c salt

1/8c sugar 

• In small pot bring to boil, vinegar, water, salt and sugar.
• Boil until salt and sugar are dissolved. 
• In a quart jar or medium size tupperware container, place beets, onions, garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Pour in enough brine to cover.  Put lid on tightly and shake to mix up.  

*This is for a single batch in the refrigerator.  Let sit 3 or 4 days before eating.

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