Beet Cheese Treats

The lovely rich red-purple color of beets is from the powerful protective antioxidants. The natural sugar in beets makes it popular for making Halwas or Red Velvet Cake.
I RARELY use cheese in my recipes,since Ricotta cheese was available fat-free,I was not hesitant to use it.Beets with Ricotta taste divine, make them on any festive occasion Eid or Diwali or Christmas or Hanukkah or just for a sweet treat after meals.

Ricotta cheese is typically used in Italian cooking .If you'd like to make you own ricotta, here is a helpful link, its lot like making home-made Paneer(Cottage cheese).

Ingredients
2 medium beets washed, peeled and finely shred
1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Nuts and Raisins for Garnish
1 tablespoon each of Clarified Butter(ghee) and Olive oil.

Method
Heat ghee and oil in a non-stick pan. Add 2 tablespoon of sugar and allow to melt for a minute, this helps the sugar to caramelize and gives a unique taste. Add the finely shred beets,rest of the sugar and saute until tender, about 10-12 minutes, stir occasionally. When beets are cooked and tender add the cheese. Cook until the mixture is mostly dry and let cool before shaping in squares or rounds. Garnish with more sugar granules,nuts and raisins.


I'm sending this tasty treat to JFI:Festive treats hosted this month by Srivalli.

Beet and Ricotta cheese Nutrition Facts
Beets are an excellent source of the B vitamin, folate, and a very good source of manganese and potassium. Beets are a good source of dietary fiber, calcium,vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Learn the Health benefits of Beets
Ricotta cheese is low in fat and rich in calcium.

Did you Know?
Beet greens are edible too and full of nutrients. Check out the Roasted Beets and Beet greens curry.