Spaghetti with beets, capers and mozzarella

Beets to purify almost everything!

The recipe below, is one I made some weeks ago. It was on a rainy afternoon when I just felt I needed a good lunch, with some great colours to brighten up the day. The combination of the beets and thyme worked very well, especially when topped with some parmesan cheese :-) But of course, this probably would do for dinner even better. The sweet beets and silty capers, and I guess these veggies would even work out with some nicely cooked quinoa, when you're not too fond of pasta's.

Beets are incredibly healthy, and that's not just because of the high level of various vitamins and minerals. Beets are Particularly beneficial to women who are pregnant, as the vitamin B and iron are very beneficial to new growth cells during pregnancy and replenishing iron in the woman's body. But even if you're not pregnant beets happen to have many benefits: they are a wonderful tonic for the liver, (when you 'oops' drank too much!) and they work as a purifier for the blood. To top that, they even can help prevent various forms of cancer.


When you're not feeling too cheerful, beets are really a godsend. They contain 'betaine', a substance also used in certain treatments for depression. It also contains useful 'trytophan', which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being, a bit like chocolate. And finally, they can lower your blood pressure.

Convinced? Good, because there are numerous different and delightful recipes to be made with beetroot! You could use them raw,  finely chopped in a salad with some mint, or for example, a juice with apple and carrot, or in a salad with potatoes and chives, and so on. That said, I'd better think of what beet dish is going to be next on the blog!

SEE THE WHOLE RECIPE

Ingredients: (3 to 4 persons)

• 500 gr. spaghetti
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 cooked beets
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• large handful of capers
• 1large tbsp of thyme
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 or 2 mozzarella's (what you prefer)
• 3 hands of arugula
• Parmesan cheese to garnish

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed
• Than, finely chop the onion
• Cut the garlic in thin slices
• Peel te cooked beets and chop them in little cubes
• Bring a pan to medium heat and add the olive oil
• Add the onion and garlic and melt for about 5 minutes
• Than, add the capers 
• Add the beets 
• And the thyme, and turn up the heat a little. Stir fry for another 5 minutes.
• Whisk in the zest of one lime, some salt and freshly ground pepper, and simmer for another minute or two
• Cut the mozzarella('s) in little cubes as well.
• Whisk all the ingredients together, plus the arugula, and drape it nicely on a plate.
• Garnish with some parmesan, if you like, and top it off with some extra freshly ground pepper. 

Than, finely chop the onion

Cut the garlic in thin slices

Peel te cooked beets..

..and chop them in little cubes

Bring a pan to medium heat and add the olive oil

Add the onion and garlic and melt for about 5 minutes

Than, add the capers 

Add the beets, 

..and the thyme, and turn up the heat a little. Stir fry for another 5 minutes.

Whisk in the zest of one lime, some salt and freshly ground pepper, and simmer for another minute or two

Cut the mozzarella('s) in little cubes as well.

Whisk all the ingredients together, plus the arugula, and drape it nicely on a plate.

Garnish with some parmesan, if you like, and top it off with some extra freshly ground pepper.