Eats, shoots, and leaves--Curry beet greens omelet & sautéed beetroot

Well, grammar matters doesn't it?

Though the nature of this post is certainly quite innocuous, the title is still pertinent to the topic of eating the shoots AND leaves of beets. "BEETS?! Who gets beets for the beet greens?" True, the plump and eye-catching hue of the beetroots are the most apparent feature of a bunch of beets. But what about the plume of red-tinged beet greens? They're stars in their own right--in fact, some contend the beet greens nutritionally superior to beetroots. Beet greens are packed with vitamins (A, K, C, B2) and minerals (copper, potassium, manganese, magnesium, calcium, and even iron). In terms of taste and texture, there's nothing wrong with them--no bitter taste or toughness. This makes them very easy to use, perhaps as the leafy green contribution to a stew, in a quick sautéed side dish, or in this case as main ingredient in an omelet. Not to worry, the beets weren't left out entirely, I saved one to use a topping to the omelet, offering some additional color and crunch.

This recipe was very simple and gave me 4 servings, great for a family brunch, or just 4 meals during the week if you're a family of 1. The beetroots and omelet, despite needing to cook separately, can easily be prepared simultaneously. While cooking the omelet, I decided to try something different and sprinkled on some curry powder. Good decision. To complement that, I added some ground cumin to the beetroots I was sautéing. The two paired wonderfully together, and the curry was refreshing compared to the usual salt and pepper omelet gold standard. The sweet beetroots and crispy garlic slivers seasoned with savory cumin completed the meal, though a few slices of fresh avocado never hurts either.

|| Curry Beet Greens Omelet & Sautéed Beetroot ||

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of 3 medium/small beets (roots and greens), washed
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• 1-1/2 Tb. oil
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin*
• Salt to taste

*Note: I only used 1 beet; consider adjusting accordingly should you use all 3 beets.

Directions

1. Separate beetroots from beet greens. Peel one of the beetroots, set aside the other two for another recipe**.
2. Cut the beet in half lengthwise, then slice in 1/8" thick slices. Stack and lay these slices sideways, cut-side down and again make 1/8" thick cuts to make 'sticks' of beets. Slice the garlic thinly into slivers. Set aside.
3. Chop the beet greens into 1/2" wide segments, yielding a mixture of leaves and stalk.
4. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 Tb. oil over medium-high heat. In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tb. oil over medium-high heat as well.
5. To the skillet, add the beet greens. To the sauté pan, add the garlic slivers. Stir both frequently to ensure even cooking.
6. When garlic begins to brown and gently crisp, add beetroot sticks and cumin. Continue cooking and season with salt. When beet greens start to wilt, spread out evenly over the pan. Pour the eggs over the greens and tilt the pan as needed to ensure coverage of most of the greens. Season with salt and the curry powder and let cook.
7. You'll know the beetroot sticks are done when they've darkened more in color and start to bend a bit, a few minutes' time. Remove from heat and set aside.
8. The omelet will be ready to be folded when it is bubbling throughout. Taking a spatula (or two) under one half of the omelet, fold it over the other half. At this point, you can break the omelet into 4 even servings and flip each 'mini-omelet' individually; doing this makes them easier to manage. Continue to flip periodically as the omelets continue cooking.
9. Once the center of the omelets are no longer runny, they're done! Remove from heat and plate--
10. To assemble: top each omelet with beetroot sticks, sautéed garlic, and *optional* avocado slices and enjoy!

**Or go ahead and cook them with this batch! Just don't forget season accordingly