Autumn is the time for healthy root crops and vegetables. It's time to pamper your body with vitamin and delicious dishes. One of these is beetroot salad with garlic and sour cream. It can be served independently as a simple and satisfying snack, as well as in addition to side dishes. Beets are especially good for meat dishes and meatballs. In this article we will share with you some interesting recipes for preparing this elegant salad.
What is the use of beets
Despite the fact that the calorie content of beets with garlic and sour cream is approximately 260 kcal per 100 grams, this is a healthy and nutritious dish. Beets are a very healthy vegetable. Its composition is rich in minerals, vitamins and trace elements. This beautiful root crop provides the body with iron, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, fluorine, potassium, calcium, manganese, a large number of vitamins A, D and PP.
The main advantage of beetweed is a lot of fiber, which is considered an effective and natural cleaner of the body. In general, this is a very useful product for the gastrointestinal tract. Thanks to it, peristalsis improves, constipation is eliminated, the intestines are protected from the appearance of cancers. Boiled root vegetable is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the body from fumes of heavy metals and other toxins.
Beets have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the circulatory and cardiovascular systems. The vessels become more elastic, with hypertension, blood pressure decreases. With the help of natural dietary fiber, cholesterol and triglycerides are reduced, and this protects a person from atherosclerosis.
Red vegetables help pregnant women prevent anemia, while the opposite sex gives men strength. The iodine contained in beets will be useful to all people with thyroid disorders. Nutritionists say that beetroot energizes a person and improves performance.
The rich vitamin and mineral composition of beetroot increases the resistance of the immune system to viruses and microbes. If you add garlic to boiled beets, you will get an excellent prophylactic for colds in the cold season. A little later we will consider the recipes for beet salads with garlic, and now we will figure out how to choose the right beets.
Choose beets correctly
Today, beets can be bought both in the supermarket and in the market. However, there are different root crops on the shelves - fodder and table variety, as well as good goods mixed with sluggish and spoiled vegetables. A good fresh beetwax will not only give the dish a pleasant taste, but also give the body benefits. Pay attention to the tips for choosing beets:
- Feed grade is unsuitable for food. It is distinguished by the large size of the fruit. Choose small and medium beets.
- If you can look at the inside of the vegetable, then stop at dark, burgundy root crops (pinkish ones will not be tasty).
- Externally, the vegetable should be with a smooth skin, without damage, since even bacteria can get into a small incision.
You can store the root crop in the refrigerator for no more than a month.
Cook root vegetables
Classic beetroot cooking:
- Wash root vegetables well. The peel can be cleaned or left.
- Pour cold water into a saucepan, lower the beets and put on medium heat.
- Wait for the water to boil and reduce the heat to a minimum.
- Boil for several hours, checking that the vegetables are completely in the water.
How much to cook beets until cooked this way? Everything is individual here - it depends on the size of the beet and the size of the pan. Usually this process takes 2-3 hours. There is a little secret. To reduce cooking time by 1 hour, it is necessary to lower the root crops immediately into the boiling water. However, there is a risk that not all useful substances will be preserved in such beets.
There is a way to get boiled beetroot much faster. It will take about 30 minutes:
- Wash root vegetables. Do not clean the roots and skin.
- Dip in a pot of boiling water and keep on fire for 20 minutes.
- Transfer vegetables to a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.
Now you know how to cook the beets correctly and how much until ready. Let's get down to the recipes.
Traditional recipe
The classic recipe is cheese-free, but this product can add a delicate, refined taste to the salad.
This will require:
- 4 small root vegetables;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 60 ml of sour cream;
- 120 g of cheese;
- sea salt to taste;
- a bunch of fresh herbs to taste.
How to cook:
- Peel the boiled beets and grate.
- Grate the cheese.
- Finely chop the garlic and herbs, mix them.
- Put the grated beets in the dishes, add the garlic and herbs, sprinkle with cheese, salt and season with sour cream.
- Mix everything well and serve.
Healthy Salad with Prunes and Walnuts
Beets with garlic and sour cream go well with prunes and walnuts. This is the case when sweet and spicy are in perfect harmony with each other. Incredibly healthy and satisfying snack.
Required Products:
- 0.5 kg of beets;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 80 g of prunes;
- 70 ml of sour cream;
- 4-5 walnuts;
- a pinch of salt.
Here's how to cook:
- Rub the beets on a coarse grater.
- Pour prunes with warm boiled water and leave for 6 minutes. Then drain the water and cut into small cubes.
- We chop the garlic and add to the beets.
- We spread the prunes there.
- Grind the nuts and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt, season with sour cream and mix.
Beets with garlic and sour cream: a recipe with potatoes
What we will do:
- 0.5 kg of beetroot;
- 250 g of potatoes;
- 5 tbsp. spoons of sour cream;
- 2-3 garlic cloves;
- 3 teaspoons mustard;
- 1 teaspoon of sugar;
- salt to taste.
Cooking method:
- Boil the beetroot, peel and rub on a coarse grater.
- Cook the potato in its uniform. Then we cool, clean and rub in the same way as beets.
- Connect the grated vegetables.
- Grind the garlic and add to the vegetables.
- Supplement with salt, sugar and mustard.
- Season with sour cream and mix.
- We lay out the finished salad on portioned plates and decorate with a sprig of greenery.
With eggs
Beetroot salad with sour cream and garlic goes very well with boiled eggs. The taste is light and piquant. The main advantage of this salad is that it does not take much time and products to prepare it.
The components of the recipe:
- 2 small beets;
- 2-3 boiled eggs;
- 100 g of cheese;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 70 ml of sour cream;
- salt to taste.
How to do:
- Boil beets, peel and grate.
- Grate the cheese also coarsely and add to the beetroot.
- Boil hard-boiled eggs, cool and grate. Add to beets.
- Pass the garlic through the garlic press and send to the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt, pepper if desired.
- Season with sour cream and mix thoroughly.
An unusual recipe for beets with garlic and sour cream
You will need:
- 1 medium-sized beets;
- 1 carrot;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- 8 peeled walnuts;
- 5 tbsp. spoons of sour cream;
- 85 g of feta cheese;
- 3 tbsp. tablespoons of lemon and orange juice;
- salt to taste;
- a mixture of peppers is optional.
Step by step cooking:
- Grate beetroot and carrots on a medium grater.
- Add cheese feta cheese.
- Chop the garlic and add to the vegetables.
- Fry nuts with salt in a frying pan without oil, then finely chop and send to the rest of the ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, make a sauce of sour cream, citrus juice, salt and pepper.
- Season with the resulting sauce and mix well.
Cooking Tips
- Beetroot contains natural dye, so it gets your hands dirty. To avoid this, work with her with normal medical gloves.
- After cooking, let the salad brew for about 10 minutes, so that the tastes of the ingredients harmoniously intertwine, and the beetroot salad with garlic and sour cream has become more juicy.
- To prevent the smell of boiled beets in the kitchen, add bread crust to the water.
- Beets are better absorbed with fat sour cream. If you previously made this salad exclusively with mayonnaise and do not want to give it up, then take mayonnaise and sour cream in a 1: 1 ratio. The dish will become light and sophisticated.
- Salad with walnuts will be more piquant if the nuts are fried for several minutes in a pan without oil.
- Another way to make the taste of beets with garlic and sour cream unforgettable. Fry the garlic cloves in oil for 2-3 minutes and then chop.
- If the recipe does not include fresh herbs, still add finely chopped parsley or dill. These herbs go well with beets. In addition, the dish will look more appetizing. It is better to sprinkle the salad with greens just before serving.
- Any cooking option can be supplemented with dried fruits. They will make the taste more interesting and rich, and the salad will become more useful.
- The water in which the root crop was boiled can be used as a sedative. To do this, strain the liquid, add a little lemon juice and a little ginger. This drink is not recommended for people with diabetes.
We hope our article was useful to you. Now you know several options for cooking boiled beets with garlic and sour cream. The uniqueness of this salad is in its nutritional value, benefits and simplicity. It will appeal to not only adherents of a healthy diet, but also to spicy lovers. Delight your household or guests with a delicious and elegant treat! Enjoy your meal!