My better half comes from Russian ancestry and on occasion I have to make foods that I would certainly not make if I were only cooking for myself.

Now, having said that of course, I will say that I love this dish. My experience with beets before learning of this particular recipe was with my family dinners as a child when my grandmother used to try and make me eat beets. Like every child, I complained constantly that all the foods that were good for me were also terrible tasting. I felt like it was some sort of punishment!

But now? I love beets! They taste delicious, they’re good for you, AND I can touch-up my hair colour with the left over red beet juices! Not many of you can say that, I bet.

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 good sized beets, peeled and then shredded
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar1/2 lemon squeezed
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (homemade is best, but I don’t expect all my readers to be pioneers)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Wisk together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and maple syrup. Pour over beets and onions and toss. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Makes about 4 to 6 servings, depending on how delicious it ends up being.

I’ll admit, a news story about cooking chicken poop caught my eye. Call me weird. Apparently charring fowl manure might not save the planet, but apparently when charred alongside beetle-killed pine trees, corn husks, and other organic matter it can help in the war on greenhouse gases.

According to researchers attending this years North American Biochar Conference, biochar (charcoal, more or less) is what remains when organic matter is burned in a low-oxygen environment. Biochar can last for thousands of years locking up globe-warming carbons in the meantime.

Humble biochar has uncharted potential for capturing and storing carbon dioxide, while simultaneously improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity,” Lakshman Guruswamy, head of CU’s Center for Energy and Environmental Security, said in a news release.

For more information, check out Laura Snider’s story on the first ever biochar conference.

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Rosti night was my absolute favourite night in my first year of university. I’d never had them before then but once exposed to them, I was helpless to their potato-y charms. Now, many years after university, I still make them! For those not in the know, Rosti are traditional Swiss fried potato cakes. And guess what I’ve discovered? They’re even better when made with other veggies.

Ingredients:

3 cups Carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup Beets, peeled and grated
1 cup Parsnips, peeled and grated
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Canola oil (for frying)
1/4 cup Sour cream or plain yogurt, full-fat
1 tsp Cumin, ground
1/2 tsp Dill, dried

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, mix sour cream, cumin and dill. Refrigerate until needed. In a large bowl, mix together grated veggies, eggs, flour, salt and pepper until well combined. Divide mixture into twelve patties and put on a large sheet of parchment paper.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to pan and let it heat up, add four patties of carrot mixture. Press patties into pancakes and fry on each side 3-5 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.

Place on a baking tray and bake 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with sour cream sauce if desired. Yields 12 cakes.