Tag Archives: beet

Beetroot Halwa

DSCN1264

Tonight I finally used the six beets I purchased a while ago, then sort of forgot about.

I painstakingly peeled them and grated each one manually, making for very pink fingers.

Then, I ran out to the shop next door and bought some fresh Amul milk — 500 mL, in a little plastic pouch (TetraPak).

DSCN1262

Halwa is an Indian dessert that’s often prepared during festivals, like Navratri or Diwali (so I am told by Wikipedia). Indian desserts can be simple or super complicated — luckily, halwa is pretty easy! It’s basically beetroot pudding with cashews (kaju) and golden raisins, flavored with cardamom.

I’ve had lots of halwas in my day now, including carrot halwa, moong daal (a type of lentil/pulse) halwa, and suji ka halwa (semolina flour). This is my first attempt. Feast your eyes.

Beetroot Halwa

Adapted from Veg Recipes of India

3 cups beetroot, peeled and finely grated (about 6 small beets)

500 mL milk

2 tablespoons ghee

1 cube of jaggery (or 4-6 tablespoons of sugar)

1/3 teaspoon cardamom powder

15-20 whole cashews* (maybe extra if you’re prone to nibbling on cashews)

1 tablespoon golden raisins*

Combine the milk and beetroot in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir and boil/simmer until most of the milk is evaporated.

Stir in the sugar and ghee and cook a bit more until the milk is almost completely evaporated.

Add the cashews, cardamom, and raisins and cook until no more milk is left and it is cooked.

Ta da!

DSCN1256

Tender beetroot made into a delicious, and actually rather healthy dessert. This was so good. Going easy on the ghee and sugar (beets are sweet by themselves so not much sugar is necessary) makes for a very tempting dessert/snack.

*Next time, I would toast these in ghee before adding for extra flavor.

Chocolate Cake with Beets and Peanut Butter Banana Saucy Frosting

I made a cake.

A chocolate cake.

An almost vegan chocolate cake with beets in the batter and tofu in the frosting.

For no reason.

Except that it was the 158015th day of rain this year and I had cabin fever.

Good thing it was … so, so good.

PS: Make the frosting first, so it can chill in the fridge while you make the cake.

Chocolate Cake with Beets

Adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

1 can of beets

water

unsweetened apple sauce

thick Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup + 3 T raw sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Rinse off the beets. Puree with your tool of choice (food processor, blender, immersion blender) with 1/4 cup water until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil or spray your cooking pan(s). I used 2 round cake pans.

Put the pureed beets into a 2-cup measure. I added about 1/2 cup-2/3 cup apple sauce to finish the jar and then a few dollops of greek yogurt (maybe 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup? Eyeball it. The original recipe did not include this, but I think it made the cake super good and fudgey. Add the 2 tablespoons water, vanilla extract, and apple cider to the beets and mix well (I re-immersion blendered it).

Mix the dry ingredients together; then add the beet mixture and stir until well-combined. I also added some chopped chocolate chips. Bake for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of pan you use: more for small, deep pans and less for a 9X13 pan. I used two round cake pans and I think it took about 35 minutes or so. Test by inserting a toothpick into the center; it’s done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Banana Peanut Butter Saucy Frosting

6 oz silken tofu

1 banana

2 tbsp. natural peanut butter

1/4-1/3 cup agave nectar, to taste (less was more for me)

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Crushed peanuts

Blend all ingredients except the crushed peanuts in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, so it’s best to give it time to chill if you plan to sandwich it between layers of cake. (Mine was actually kind of thin. Not sure if adding more tofu would give it some more thickness). I put some in the layer and sprinkled the peanuts in it, then spread the rest of the sauce over the top of the cake and sprinkled more peanuts on it.
Makes 8 servings.

This is not a cloyingly sweet cake, but through the rich chocolate flavor there is a subtle sweetness. It is deliciously dense and moist, almost like you’re eating a little meal than a dessert, due to the whole wheat flour, undetectable beets, and yogurt.

Suddenly rainy days don’t seem so bad anymore.