Blood-Sugar Balancing Beetroot Cutlets

These beetroot cutlets are meaty and proteinous and fibrous and even have a healthy collection of fats, making these much better for your heart and blood than an animal-based equivalent.

You will need

• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup same, cooked, drained, and rinsed)
• ½ cup chopped roasted or steamed beetroot, blotted dry
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (if allergic, substitute with ¼ cup pumpkin seeds)
• ½ cup cooked (ideally: mixed) grains of your choice (if you need gluten-free, there are plenty of gluten-free grains and pseudocereals)
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ bulb garlic, minced or crushed
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp white miso paste
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp MSG or ½ tsp low-sodium salt

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Combine the beetroot, beans, walnuts, grains, and onion in a food processor, and process until a coarse even mixture.

2) Add the remaining ingredients and process to mix thoroughly.

3) Transfer the mixture to a clean work surface and divide into six balls. If the structural integrity is not good (i.e. too soft), add a little more of any or all of these ingredients: chopped walnuts, ground flax, ground chia, nutritional yeast.

4) Press the balls firmly into cutlets, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but longer is even better if you have the time. Alternatively, if you’d like to freeze them for later use, then this is the point at which to do that.

5) Preheat the oven to 375℉ / 190℃.

6) Roast the cutlets on a baking tray lined with baking paper, for about 30 minutes, turning over carefully with a spatula halfway through. They should be firm when done; if they’re not, give them a little longer.

7) Serve hot, for example on a bed of greens and with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Beetroot’s Many Benefits
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?
• What Omega-3 Fatty Acids Really Do For Us
• Three Daily Servings of Beans?
• If You’re Not Taking Chia, You’re Missing Out

Take care!