We have a special treat for you today. Our friend, Elana, of the blog John and Elana Talk About Food is here to share a healthy Super Bowl recipe with us. Elana's managed to transform an Athlete Food favorite ingredient into the perfect half-time snack. Even those of you who aren't so down (to earth) with this superfood of root vegetables will be reaching for the bowl of chips.
Triathletes, you may recognize Elana from the race course or from her recent contributions to Triathlete Magazine. If this recipe leaves you hungry for more, go eat up some time on Elana's blog.
As you're lining up the MVP's of the pantry, consider a well-known contender: CHIPS. I'm not talking about your standard potato variety. I want something with more nutrition, something that's going to power my body—I'm talking about beets.
Beets? Yes, beets. Let's call a time-out. Beets are the super food for your super bowl party. When it comes to defense, beets have proved themselves to be an immunity booster, and even to guard against cancer. And they're packed with iron, sodium, magnesium and folic acid - all things your body needs after a workout.
But you still want to crunch something, right? I hear you. For that purpose, we can turn regular beets into beet chips, just by roasting them in the oven. No frying required (or advised!).
Top a spinach and whole wheat pizza with these beet chips, and you will have one super gridIRON meal. Get it? gridIRON? OK, and now back to our regularly scheduled programming...
Beet Chips
2 red beets, roasted & thinly sliced
2 golden beets, roasted & thinly sliced
2 candy cane beets, roasted & thinly sliced
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a mandoline slicer or a VERY steady hand and a chef’s knife, slice the beets 1/16” thick - or as thinly as you can manage.
Place the sliced beets onto the prepared baking sheet and brush with Colavita Extra Virgin olive oil. Sprinkle them with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.
Bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes. The edges will start to curl and the beets will begin to dry out. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. They will crisp a bit more as they cool.
Beet, Spinach and Gorgonzola Pizza
1 package baby spinach
1 cup gorgonzola cheese
Prepared beet chips (from recipe above)
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
optional: dried or fresh mixed herbs such as rosemary and thyme
Prepare beet chips according to the above recipe. Set aside.
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat up along with the oven for a half hour before baking on it.
Stretch out your dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel to about 10-12” in diameter. Place a layer of the spinach on top of the dough and sprinkle with gorgonzola cheese. NOTE: you'll add the beet chips to your baked pizza, once it is removed from the oven.
Drizzle with a little more Colavita Extra Virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and herbs (if using).
Slide your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Now's the time to add the beet chips and fresh herbs. Garnish away!