Beet Green Confessional

I've been enjoying cooking fresh beets mostly using them for salads but all this time I have been tossing the greens. Each time I did a small voice in my head kept asking, "Aren't beet greens edible?"

Finally one evening the guilt got to me and I did some online research and found that I've been tossing away a great green. Fortunately, this week's box included 3 monster beets which I will certainly use but I also made the effort to separate the greens from the beet and made them as a side in tonight's dinner.

I got online and blended a number of recipes. Most called for red onion and I didn't have any on hand. But I did have a lot of shallots in this week's delivery so I substituted shallots. I followed this blended recipe:

• Thoroughly wash beet greens and dry them in a salad spinner
• Cut the greens into smaller pieces and wash again
  
• Heat olive oil in a skillet
• Add 2 large cloves of chopped shallots and let cook for 5 minutes
• Add 2-3 cloves minced garlic and cook for a few minutes
• Add beet greens and 3/4 cup of water
• Stir until well mixed
• Reduce heat, cover skillet, and let simmer for 5-15 minutes
• Stir in 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar, a generous dash of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste

Overall, it was a good starting point but I would decrease the amount of water next time next time. Maybe 1/2 cup.

There's more to explore here but the basic lesson is don't toss those beet greens.