Ready for Insta-fame, beets lend this breakfast or dessert-worthy bread earthy sweetness and vibrant colour. Slices can be served with a smear of butter or your favourite nut butter, topped with dollops of ricotta, or as is so that each chocolate morsel shines through.
Chocolate Chunk Beet Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb (340 g) cooked red beets (about 3 medium-sized)
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk or unsweetened dairy-free milk
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) demerara or coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) grapeseed oil or sunflower oil
- 2 large organic eggs
- 1 cup (250 mL) brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut flour
- 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) dark chocolate chunks
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted shelled pistachios
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories414
- protein8g
- fat21g
- saturated fat4g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates52g
- sugars21g
- fibre7g
- mg181
Directions
01
Heat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 in (21 x 11 x 6 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper big enough so there is a 1 in (2.5 cm) overhang.
In blender or food processor, place cooked beets, banana, milk, sugar, and oil, and blend until smooth. Blend in eggs.
In large bowl, stir together rice flour, coconut flour, baking powder, ginger powder, and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently until everything is moist. Fold in dark chocolate chunks. Place mixture in loaf pan and sprinkle on pistachios.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of loaf comes out mostly clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan and then lift out using parchment paper overhang.
Sweet beets
To bring out the underlying sweetness of beets, it’s best to roast them in the oven. However, you can also steam cubed beets until tender. Some produce sections now sell precooked beets for convenience.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD, is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
