November BEETS - Announcing the Winners of Our First BeetnSquash YOU! Contest

Mel of Gourmet Fury and I had so much fun co-hosting Beet n Squash YOU! -- our monthly contest open to anyone who finds a vegetable-themed food fight enjoyable. And, boy, did our November BEETS participants duke it out. The red beet juice stains that can still be seen on the battleground testify to the fierce battle which had just ended this past Friday. Our cleaning squad is still working over time picking up severed beet tops as we speak.

As one of the judges, I started off reveling in the power to declare a winner. After having seen all the entries, however, I reveled no more. Choosing one winner is hard. No. It's impossible.


All I can say to those who have yet to win is -- please do not let that discourage you from participating next month. And to those who win this time, my most heartfelt congratulations. Watch out, though, because your competitors can easily take you down next month.

Greatly humbled by the talent and creativity which I have seen, I have made my choice of this month's Leela's Pick. It is a tie!

The lovely and incredibly talented Lisa of lisaiscooking made Warm Beet Salad with Parmesan Dressing which I think is absolutely fantastic. The earthy sweetness of the beets is brought out through the process of roasting. The creamy Parmesan dressing is drizzled over the warm beet slices, adding another layer of flavor. A tangy vinaigrette of the mellow Banyuls vinegar from the South of France, brings it all together. The delicate peppery greens and the pistachios provide the textural contrast. I just adore this salad. Though this is not Lisa's original recipe, the execution is flawless. Besides, I think she has presented a brilliant way to serve beets. To me, this salad says, 'This is how beets look and taste; behold their glory and treat them with respect."

Well done, Lisa, and congratulations.

My other pick is Braised Beef with Beets by Shao of friedwontons4u. The tough and sinewy beef shanks are braised Chinese-style until they're meltingly tender. The beets are cooked separately in the braising liquid after the beef has been removed. The ruby red cubes give off the sweetness and beautiful color to the liquid while taking on the delicious concentrated beef flavor from the liquid in which they're cooked. [I am drooling shamelessly as I'm typing this.] This, I think, represents another great way to use beets in such a way that shows what beets can do. And to think that Shao had never before cooked with beets!

Brava, Shao. Congratulations.

As I said before, picking one, in this case two, wasn't easy at all. I almost chickened out and resorted to eenie-meenie-miney-moe, but later came to my senses. Looks like Mel, my co-host, also had a hard time picking one. After presenting her gorgeous Warm Beet and Scallop Salad with Crab Apple Relish, she has announced her picks.

Now let's take a look at all the other great entries.

Don and Jenn of foodieprints.com came up with two delicious dishes one which I actually made and liked a lot: Beet Brownies pairing beets with dark chocolate and a creative dish that combines ingredients which I'd never before seen together in the same bowl, Salad of Roasted Beets, Barley, and Sauted Red Onions. I have yet to make the salad, but the brownies were as delicious as they look! Thanks, guys!

Carolyn of the beautiful site, umamigirl.com, entered this wonderful salad of raw beets, goat cheese, and walnuts. What a simple, elegant, and delicious-looking dish. Thanks, Carolyn. You're awesome!

Kristen of Passion4Eating also makes a fabulous salad out of raw beets. She pairs them with red onions which have been thinly sliced and softened in apple cider vinegar, and voila, a simple, elegant, delicious salad of raw beets and macerated red onions is born. Thanks, Kristen!

Christo of ChezWhat?, hands-down one of the coolest doodbloggers (male food bloggers), has shown off his cooking prowess by incorporating beets into his beautiful homemade pasta, served up with creamy Alfredo sauce and pumpkin balls cooked sous vide (!). Check it out. From what we've heard, he almost went as far as doing a beet foam with a pasta foam and a pumpkin foam 'all wadded up into a cookie.' Christo is a character, I tell ya. Thanks, my friend!

The beautiful Marye Audet (I'm so jealous of her gorgeous eyes and hair!), a cookbook author and blogger extraordinaire, of blisstree.com has entered this unique Roasted Beet and Ginger Risotto with Fontina. I don't know about you, but I'm bookmarking this recipe for the Christmas party I'm hosting this year. Mel has chosen Marye's risotto as one of her picks.
Thanks and congratulations, Marye!


Lan of angryasiancreations.com has roasted up some beets and instead of blending them into the rice to create bright red risotto, she, freaked out by what would have been an 'organ-like' red-colored risotto, opted to cube up the roasted beets and serve them on top of her creamy yet al dente risotto. Lan's personality and style have been a source of joy and fun for many of us who read her blog and follow her on Twitter (where you will be blessed with the caricature of the spatula-wielding Lan looking mad as heck.)

Thanks, girl!

And we've also received an entry from a non-food blogger. Mark, a reader, decided these food bloggers need to be put in their place and sent in his BBQ chicken. Since Mark has graciously allowed me to try out his recipe and blog about it next week, I will withhold all information pertaining to this dish until that post goes up. Ha. So if you're interested in seeing what Mark has done with beets, please tune in sometime next week. And thanks, Mark, for joining us!

The creative and talented Natasha of 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures has whipped up this mind-blowingly beautiful Beet-Cranberry-Horseradish Mousse inspired by an element of an amuse-bouche she had at one of her favorite restaurants. The mousse is obviously beautiful to behold, not very difficult to make, and will definitely wow your dinner guests. Natasha is one of the most prolific food bloggers around, whipping up one creative and delicious dish after another each week. I find her enthusiasm and culinary skills so inspiring. Thank you, Natasha!


And here's the favorite of Mel and several of us on Twitter who have seen and gone nuts over these Uncommonly Delicious Beet Puffs as Kian of redcook.net has called his creation. Kian has brilliantly replaced the traditional turnip in this snack from northern China with beets. I can't get over how flaky the puffs look. Bravo, Kian. Thank you so much for a great entry and very informative post.

The London-based Quasi Serendipita, who blogs about not only food but many other things that bear witness to her cooking and craft skills, has entered these cookies called "The Lady Director's Crimson Biscuits." Check out her post and read about the fascinating history of this old-English recipe. In keeping with the antiquity of the recipe, QS has opted to mash up the cooked beets with a pestle and mortar. Food processor is for sissies, I tell ya ... Thanks, QS, for such a wonderful entry and post.

And here's another great entry from a non-blogger. My reader, Rick, has shared with us this Roasted Beet Caprese Salad wherein sweet roasted beets replace the traditional fresh tomatoes. Rick piles up fresh salad greens on a plate and alternates the roasted beet slices with thick slices of fresh Mozzarella. Balsamic vinaigrette goes on top. What a great combination. If anyone would like the recipe, please email me. Thanks, Rick. Great dish!

Noodle lover and great food blogger, KT of Noodle Fever has wowed us with her Golden Beet and Chèvre Salad with Crispy Beluga Lentils. KT pairs roasted golden beets with goat cheese and a salad of avocado and greens dressed with Grapefruit Cumin Vinaigrette. Then she adds lentils that have been popped like popcorn to the salad for the added crunch. How great is that? Great job, KT. You have shown us such a beautiful and delicious-sounding dish and enlightened me on the crispy beluga lentils among several other things; I am indeed grateful. Thank you!


And last but not least, Mel, my partner in crime and the host of next month's Beet n Squash YOU! contest, has whipped up this elegant dish which just blew me away. She tops her roasted beets with perfectly-seared sausage and scallop, people! And like that's not enough, she serves it all up with a crab apple relish. I am still reeling in pain from the failure that is my wine-poached beets and seeing what happens when those who know what they're doing cook beets, I need to be away for a while to lick my wound and get ready for the next battle.