Should I use raw beets in my smoothie recipe?
I have a smoothie recipe which requires beets, and having never prepared raw beets, but only ever pulled the, from a pre-canned jar, I'm wondering how to proceed.
I'm reading the cookbook "100 Best Smoothies & Juices" and making Beet, Pear and Spinach juice from page 96.
The part I don't understand is the ingredient named 1 beet, trimmed, peeled and chopped.
No where does it say to cook the beets; but everyone I've asked about this has said that you have to biol them first.
Best Answer
It sounds like this a juice recipe, not a smoothie recipe. It may work if you put it in your blender, as I've seen recipes for smoothies with similar ingredients like this one but it will probably need some more liquid.
When you juice, you definitely use raw fruits and vegetables but you need to run it through a juicer which will remove most of the solids, which is why you generally don't see any liquids added to the recipe.
We use raw beets in our juices all the time and, while they sometimes have a very earthy flavor, they do add a lot of sweetness. I've found the earthiness can be balanced with a little lemon juice.
... Anyway, if you want to make a smoothie with these ingredients (though I can't see the entire recipe), you can certainly follow the one I linked to earlier, which very clearly states that you use raw beets.
If you do want to follow this recipe, I can tell you that it pretty much is guaranteed to be calling for raw beets, simply because it doesn't say to cook them. Canned beets are generally already trimmed and peeled, if not chopped, so these steps don't make much sense to list.
While I wouldn't want to eat a raw beet like an apple, you don't need to cook it to consume it in a liquid form.
Pictures about "Should I use raw beets in my smoothie recipe?"
Do beets need to be cooked before blending?
To make the smoothie as fast as possible to prepare, I developed it as a raw Beet Smoothie recipe, so you don't need to cook the beets first. I find cutting the beet into a rough dice works fine if you are using a Vitamix or similar high-powered blender.Which is better raw or cooked beets?
Raw beets contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than cooked beets. Like many vegetables, the longer you cook beets (especially in water), the more of the colorful phytonutrients leach out of the food and into the water. Retain the good-for-you nutrients in beets by roasting them or saut\xe9ing them instead.Can beets be used raw?
Beets can absolutely be eaten raw. Beets don't have to be cooked for you to enjoy them. Raw beets are super yummy (AND nutritious). Plus - they add a delightfully satisfying crunch and color to all types of recipes.Beet Smoothie | Healthy Breakfast Smoothie for Detox or Weightloss
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