Biitsu beeguru / beet bagels

Confectionery sweet, according to my family in Japan. Pureed baked beet is added to the dough for a colorful hue. When made into bagels, the pureed beet has no earthy overtone that some people are not very fond of. Orange peel bits give a fruity note, which pairs well with beets. As with kale and walnut bagels, these reddish bagels also are on the smallish side and have much less sodium than regular commercial versions.

1 bagel (1/8 recipe; 75 g baked):
203 calories; 6.3 g protein; 0.9 g fat; 41.5 g carbohydrate; 38.1 g net carbs; 99 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 3.4 g fiber

Arugura to biitsu, kurumi no sarada, zakuro doresshingu / arugula, beet and walnut salad, with pomegranate dressing

Nutty arugula paired with toasty walnuts, earthy sweet and juicy baked beets, and sweet yet punchy kumquats. A simple dressing made with pomegranate molasses binds these elements amazingly well.

1/2 of recipe:
162 calories; 3.7 g protein; 12.6 g fat; 14.0 g carbohydrate; 10.0 g net carbs; 66 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 4.0 g fiber; 497 mg potassium

Biitsu to ninjin no akadashi / red miso soup with beets and carrots

Butter-sauteed carrots are paired with baked beets for red miso soup, creating a deep melody of flavors. When carrot slices are lightly cooked and allowed to retain their crispness, the taste of the two vegetables is more clearly noticed. When carrot slices are cooked until very tender and beets are cooked a bit longer, the two vegetables mingle together in the soup and produce a complex taste, although cooking beet chunks longer makes beets themselves lighter in color while the soup becomes darker. Below, beet chunks are added toward the end of the cooking process to retain their vivid color, but cooking them longer is well worth trying. This soup may not be a typical Japanese dish but does go well with any Japanese or other Asian food.

1/2 of recipe:
66 calories; 2.8 g protein; 1.3 g fat; 11.6 g carbohydrate; 8.5 g net carbs; 296 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 3.1 g fiber

Biitsu no amazuzuke / beet marinated in sweetened rice vinegar

Slightly sweet, a bit sour … crunchy-crispy fresh beets!

Biitsu no masukarupoone tofu-zoe / beets with mascarpone tofu dip

Softly fruity, creamy and slightly sour mascarpone with beets. Too much creamy texture for a Japanese dish? Thin with sake and combine it with tofu and miso, and you have a tasty tofu dip with all the good character of mascarpone.

Biitsu no kuriimu sarada / beet cream salad

Little purple-pink cubes in creamy dressing.