I was channeling my inner Michael Jackson while I was cooking some beets in my kitchen the other day. Regardless of your opinion of the late Mr. Jackson, there is little argument that his 1983 mega hit “Beat it” was one of most popular and influential songs/music video of its time.

Who can ever forget the throughly entertaining video that depicted the show down between two rivaling gangs in an abandoned warehouse? Two opposing gang members have their wrists bound together, armed with switchblades. As they begin their pas de deux of death, Mr. Jackson intervenes and ultimately brings the gangs together through the power of song and dance.

Although beets, the vegetable have nothing to do with “Beat it” the MJ song and video, the song was running through my head, much to the chagrin of my family, while I was boiling my pot o’beets.

While singing is definitely not my forte, I am a firm believer in self-expression and amused myself humming the catchy tune while preparing our meal.

I recently was turned on to the power of beets after learning about the myriad of health benefits they provide. Up until VERY recently, I never acquired a taste for beets.  The deep reddish purple color and unusual consistency seemed quite “funky” to me.

It wasnt until I heard about all the health benefits that I decided to,  (channeling my inner John Lennon) “Give beets a chance“. 🙂

Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. They also are an excellent source of choline, folic acid, maganese, iodine, potassium, fiber and iron.

Health benefits include aiding in the prevention of cancer, anemia, constipation, gout, kidney ailments, varicose veins, dandruff (!) and gastric ulcers.

Beets are also great for people watching their weight as 1 beet (2″ in diameter) only has about 35 calories and less than 6 gms of carbs.

Preparing the beets could not be easier. Just boil a pot of water, add beets and simmer about 20-30 minutes until the beets are tender. Run the freshly boiled beets under cold water and rub the beet. The outer skin will simply peel off and the beet is ready to serve. I cubed my beets and tossed them with a little balsamic vinegar. I crumbled some goat cheese and toasted diced walnuts into the bowl and gently tossed.

There are several other ways to prepare beets but as the newbie that I am, I thought that I would KISS (Keep IT SIMPLE STU***) them and call it a day.

Although I made a valiant effort to get my kids to try, they took one look at my purple concoction and gracefully declined. I don’t blame them. Tossing the beets with the cheese made the once virgin white creamy cheese into a dark fuchsia mess.

Even my husband, turned his nose at my bowl o’beets. 😦

Oh well. More beets for me.

Their loss. Although I agree that they did not seem very appetizing, the beets were in fact not only extremely nutritious, they were also very delicious.

In the words of Michael Jackson:

Just Beat it, Beat it

No one wants to be defeated

Showin how funky, strong is your fight

It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right

Just Beat it. Beat it, Beat it, Beat it.

***Little tip, don’t add the cheese until the very end. Just a little bit on TOP of the prepared beets would prove to be more aesthetically appealing as the beet juice will not mingle with the cheese until it’s in your mouth.

Chow for now!