Did your mother keep reminding you to “Eat your beets?” Mine did! I didn’t mind the color or the texture. The taste was bland....

Fortunately, my good friend Pat clued me in on a way to spice up and perk up the taste of this vegetable. Since then, I’ve enjoyed them many times. You can start with raw beets or, in the interest of time and availability, you can use canned ones. The beets may be sliced, diced, cubed, or shoestring. You can even use whole beets if they are small enough.

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of peeled cooked beets

Combine and cook until smooth:

• ¼ cup sweetener (honey granules, real maple syrup)
• 1 Tbsp grated orange rind
• 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp allspice
• Dash of pepper, if desired
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

Stir cornstarch into the cold water until dissolved. Set aside.

Place other ingredients in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to the boiling point, stirring constantly.

Slowly add the water/cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly until thickened and clear. Add a little more water or orange juice, if needed, to get the consistency you want.

Add the beets. Stir gently to coat them with the spicy orange mixture.

Serve

They make a colorful side dish for almost any meal, especially when the color red can add panache to the table. Valentine’s Day, for example.

Pour into a serving dish and voilà! Enjoy!