Recipes & Food Styling

Beet Sammies! 

I used to think that eating healthy meant filling up the refrigerator with fruits and veggies and crunching and munch on them, which you’d have to do all day long to get enough nutrients to make a difference. Wrong! It’s all about working with other ingredients to season and create amazing meals with fruits and veggies. 

Beets are at the top of my list of foods to incorporate into my diet. Beets are loaded with antioxidants and folate (B9), which helps build cells. They help reduce inflammation and increase stamina. Their nitric oxide helps increase blood flow to your muscles. Beets can help reduce blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. They are rich in folate, maganese, potassium, and vitamins A and C.     

I never thought I could get “Chick-Fil-A cravings” from a beet sandwich, but ever since I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, I’ve challenged myself more than ever before to find ways to make beet sandwiches taste tantalizingly good! Here’s how:

First, the bread. For these beet sandwiches, I used a croissant toast by Boulangerie, San Francisco that I’m obsessed with! You can find it at Whole Foods. I never check out without at least 1 bag. They remind me of the croissants in Europe, which are impossible to find in the U.S. 

Next, the beets. I use a variety of every type of beet I can find, and slice them up and either bake them or roast them. You can just clean up a few bulbs and pop them, whole, into a 350-degree oven for about 90 minutes; or slice them and toss them in a mix of extra virgin olive oil, honey and salt and pepper (to taste) and roast them in a 350-degree oven for about 60 minutes. 

Chips, lettuce and a really good, garlicky pickle help make this meal seem like it came from a fast-food restaurant! 

The most important part: Cheat a little (okay, a LOT) and use a soft, cheesey spread! Here is my recipe for a great homespun apricot cheese spread.      

Apricot Cheese Spread

Makes 4 servings

1 12-ounce package Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup apricot jam or jelly

3 tablespoons mayonaise 

1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch paprika

Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor until thoroughly combined. 

Put in refrigerator for at least 16-24 hours so that the flavors can blend.