not pink!

Anyone who knows me usually teases me about my dislike of all things pink. While I will make an exception for Hello Kitty, I still prefer the classic red and white. But beets turn everything they touch pink!
Ryan's lunch: Sweet & Sara toasted coconut marshmallow; piece of vanilla raspberry cake from Hippie Chick Bakery; blanched spinach w/toasted sesame seeds; mixed salt nuts; mini cucumber slices; beet stems fried rice.

Beet Stem Fried Rice

1 T. canola or peanut oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup thinly chopped
carrot
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup chopped beet
stems
1 T. finely chopped scallion
1 tsp. soy sauce

Heat oil over med-high heat in non-stick skillet or wok. Add onion & carrot. Cook for not more than 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.

So now you have another use for beet stems besides soups! I like to blanch the greens mixed with spinach. And I either roast or steam the beet root itself. But when I steam it, there's a cup or so of intense deep pink liquid leftover. It seems a shame to waste it...put it in a soup? But it's so good for dying! Don't feel like tie-dying your underwear or your favourite dishtowel today? I don't blame you.
If you have kids, or want to make a cool handmade gift for one, try using the leftover steaming water for playdough! Here's my recipe:

Magenta Playdough

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 T. cream of tartar
1/2 cup salt
1 T. canola oil
1 cup water from
steaming beets

Combine all ingredients in
a pot. Stir constantly over
medium-high heat. When
it forms a ball, cook for
about 1 more minute until
dough begins to firm.

Allow to cool, kneading
every so often as it cools.
Store in an airtight con-
tainer.

Here is AJ making a playdough maze. Nate requested white playdough for his birthday in the beginning of August, and the playdough is still nice and soft.

The Next Bento: Impossible

For my second installment of Bento: Impossible, I used another cookbook index and randomly chose Beets, Cucumber & Pizza as my ingredients.

Here is the final bento with
a slice of the unique pizza
tucked in there on the left,
along with some striped
apple chunks, peanuts &
raisins, & blueberries.

I made the pizza by first
preparing a whole wheat
crust & topping it with a thin
layer of red sauce. Then I
sauteed some onion until
carmelized, adding some
strips of cucumber near the
end. I had already roasted
some beets, so I peeled one
and sliced it thinly, adding
that to the pizza, followed by
the onion & cucumber. I
finished it off with a little crumbled firm tofu, then baked the pizza for another 8 minutes.
My husband isn't a fan of
beets, but even he tried
a piece. I thought it was
pretty good! I'm not sure I'd
use beets on pizza again.
But the cucumber was
actually yummy, especially
with the onions.

So for the next issue of Bento: Impossible, the theme with be Harry Potter. Hopefully that will get a few people interested in posting besides myself!