If I can give beets a huge hug for being so cute and delicious, I totally would. I love beets – with its uniquely sweet flavor and lovely texture — but I don’t like cooking them much at home. It’s difficult to rise off all the red color that bleeds after cooking these little root vegetables! But I learned recently that I can reduce the mess if I roast them in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil instead of boiling them in hot water (which I used to do), so I’m not as intimidated as I was before.

I picked up three medium-sized beets at a local Asian market the other day and turned them into a quinoa salad, inspired by a lovely scarlet quinoa side dish from M Cafe de Chaya.

Scarlet Quinoa

2-3 medium size beets
1 cups dry quinoa
2 cups water or your favorite broth
Handful of parsley, chopped

For the Dressing:
¼ cup vinegar (more if you like)
¼ cup olive oil (more if you like)
Salt and pepper

Beets:  Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Wash the beats and wrap them individually in aluminum foil. Put the beets in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender. Take them out of the oven, peel and cut them into medium-size cubes.

Quinoa:  After rinsing the quinoa, toss it in a pot with 2 cups of cold liquid (I usually use water). Bring the liquid and quinoa to a boil in high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer, until the liquid is gone (about 15-20 minutes). Turn off the heat, and let the quinoa sit for about 10 minutes, with the lid still on.

Putting it all together:  Add the beets and cooked quinoa in a bowl. Add the parsley and the dressing. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.