Coconut Dusted Crunchy Beet Chips

Beets

RaCo Life Beet Coconut Finished-2

Beets increase stamina by 16%Sweet and crunchy with an incredible texture these little coconut encrusted beet chips will create a whole meaning of tasty. Many people don’t like beets because they taste too much like the earth… but it is probably because they have never had them properly prepared. What’s great about this recipe is the beets start to take on a sweetness… which is a similar quality to caramelization. When you bake them the natural sugar and juices sweat out of the body of the fruit and caramelize on top. It is amazingly healthy and great tasting. The coconut oil helps that process along.

 

Kitchen Tools

RaCo Life Shun 8 inch Knife Damascus

RaCo Life Product Bron Original Stainless Steel Mandoline Slicer 2

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Ingredients

  • Beets
  • Shredded Coconut
  • Coconut Oil
  • Pinch of Salt to Taste

Alternate or Additive: Finely Chopped Raw Almonds

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Directions

This is a super easy, 10 minute prep recipe. Make it and bake it on a low temp around 200º (or dehydrate it – see our blog post on why dehydrating is a preferred method) until crispy and to your liking. Use the ratio of the ingredients based on your desire. There are no rules with this recipe!

We have been making our own veggie chips for years, but they are simple and boring – just a way to quickly get some nutrition and a satisfying crunch into our bodies. This is a recipe worth sharing because it is so simple, but the flavor is so incredibly rich, tasty and fulfilling.

RaCo Life Beet Coconut Top View

Peel and thinly slice fresh, raw beets. The thinner the better with this one for speed, but it depends on how chewy or crunchy you want them to be when complete. The medium sized beets work best for this… the large ones are a bit too large to cut all the way through. Using a mandoline if you have one is the best bet, but not a requirement. Check out this great video on our mandoline of choice the Bron Couke Professonal. You can use a knife.

RaCo Life Beet Coconut Oil and Beets
RaCo Life Beet Coconut in a Bag

Toss the beets in a Ziploc bag with the shredded coconut and a teaspoon of coconut oil for every medium sized beet you have used. Add in your pinch of salt to taste and finely chopped almonds if you are using them. Then zip it shut and “Shake shake shake!”

RaCo Life Beet Coconut Before Baking

Spread out all the beets on a baking tray (or dehydrator tray) and place in the oven (or dehydrator).
RaCo Life Beet Coconut Finished

Benefits

Beet Infographic

  1. Detoxify:

    Support in detoxification and helping to purify your blood and your liver.

  2. Betaine Packed:

    Beets are a unique source of betaine, a nutrient that helps protects cells, proteins, and enzymes from environmental stress

  3. Increase Stamina:

    Beets have shown an average increase of 16% stamina in exercise. This is likely due to the nitrates turning into nitric oxide which lowers the oxygen effort required. They are also known for increasing sex drive by being jam packed with  boron.

  4. Reduces Birth Defects:

    Because of the Vitamin B Folate found in Beets, this is a great food for pregnant mama’s to eat to reduce developmental issues in the spinal column.

  5. Lower Digestive Issues and Heal Quicker:

    Beets have been used to cure fever and constipation. Beet leaves are good for speeding up the healing process of wounds.

 

Resources

Throwback: Our First Supper – I Paid Him to Make It

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Kurt ran a company called Kurt’s Cuisine and part of his deal was a raw food box. I thought that meant that he would provide me with all the tools necessary to make the food for myself. Wrong. The idea was to make dinner for you for an evening. At $60, if you think about what you would pay at a restaurant, that is a pretty good deal for 4 people.

My mom came to town and I wanted to do something special with her. We went to the spa for massages and facials and hung out and had wine, and then we went to Kurt’s to his country house in Newfield for dinner. He had rawked (hahah, raw cooked… I just make that up) lasagna using zucchini and pumpkin seeds, salad, an smoothie of some kind, a side dish I can’t remember and a cashew orange torte. It was delicious, but I found a knife tip in my meal. We had a laugh, and enjoyed the moment.

Being that it was only our 3rd meeting, I didn’t know anything about him yet. He shared his collection of art that he had done and talked a bit about his history. He shared some stories and provided some thoughtful insight to where he was with his Zen practice and his life. My first inclination when I met him was ‘he’s cute, but he likes himself too much.’

This conversation changed everything. He was sensitive and sweet, showed my mom his artwork and genuinely provided him with feedback, and he listened. He was thoughtful. So, at the end of the evening my mom paid the tab of $60 and then I gave him a $20 tip (I am a very good tipper).

As we walked away, she said, “I don’t know why you aren’t considering Kurt as a potential mate. He is great.” And that was that.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vcex_image_carousel style=”default” item_width=”230px” min_slides=”1″ max_slides=”3″ items_scroll=”page” auto_play=”true” infinite_loop=”true” timeout_duration=”5000″ arrows=”true” thumbnail_link=”none” custom_links_target=”_self” img_width=”500″ img_height=”500″ image_ids=”2470,2477,2471,2466,2467,2468,2474,2475,2472,2476,2473″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][vc_text_separator title=”Make Your Own Raw Lasagna at Home” title_align=”separator_align_center” style=”five” element_type=”div”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][vc_single_image image=”2482″ border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” alignment=”none”][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_video link=”http://youtu.be/FgKgI0CAkUI”][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Ingredients
Lemon-Pignoli “Ricotta”
2 cups raw pignoli nuts, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional; available in health food stores)
1 teaspoon sea salt

Tomato Sauce
2 cups good-quality sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed), soaked in water for at least 2 hours
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
1/4 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons sea salt
Pinch hot-pepper flakes

Basil-Pistachio Pesto
2 cups packed basil leaves
1/2 cup raw pistachios
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Lasagne
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
3 medium Heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Garnish: whole basil leaves

.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Cooking Instructions
Lemon-Pignoli “Ricotta”: Place the pignoli, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor, and pulse a few times, until thoroughly combined. Gradually add 6 tablespoons water, and pulse until the texture becomes fluffy, like ricotta. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

Tomato Sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Basil-Pistachio Pesto: 
Place all ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Lasagne: Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices, then cut in half crosswise. Cut the tomatoes in half, and each half into thin slices. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with two layers of zucchini slices. Brush the zucchini lightly with olive oil, spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce over it, and top with small dollops of “ricotta” and pesto, using 1/3 of each. Layer on 1/3 of the tomato slices, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the oregano and thyme. Add another double layer of zucchini and repeat twice more with the tomato sauce, pesto, ricotta, tomato slices, and herbs. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic and let sit at room temperature for a few hours. Garnish with basil.

Recipe can be found at:

Screenshot 2014-11-30 17.46.50[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vcex_spacing size=”30px”][vc_text_separator title=”Having Some Fun During Our Raw Cook Off” title_align=”separator_align_center” style=”five” element_type=”div”][vc_video link=”http://youtu.be/SRk928cj3ps”][/vc_column][/vc_row]