There is a wide variety of ways to savor delicious arepas. Yes, it is no longer enough to prepare them with vegetables or assorted cereals and invent various forms of filling. Now, we have to show them… colorful! In addition, each color warns of the load of original and different flavors such as spinach arepas or the ones we will make today: beet arepas.
The result of this step-by-step recipe will be very healthy and nutritious colorful arepas that you can share with your family. We assure you that they will attract the attention of the little ones who will surely want to repeat when they see that in addition to being colorful, they have a spectacular flavor.
Ingredients to make Beetroot Arepas:
- 2 Beets
- 1 cup of corn flour (120 grams)
- 1 pinch of salt
How to make Beetroot Arepas:
Place a saucepan with water to boil the beets. Remove them when their texture is smooth but consistent. Avoid overcooking.
Tip: If you divide the beet into two parts, it will cook faster.
When the beets are ready, remove from the heat, drain all the liquid very well and remove the shell. Then we must crush the beet until it forms a puree. You can use a fork or help yourself with a mixer or blender.
To make the arepas dough, place this beet puree in a bowl along with the corn flour and a touch of salt.
An interesting variation would be to add a little cooked chickpeas to the dough, so instead of mixing beet puree with flour, we would mix beet hummus with flour and the arepas would have an extraordinary taste. Mix very well, kneading until you get a homogeneous dough. The mixture should not stick to your hands and should not crack.
When you have it, make as many balls as healthy arepas you want to make. In this case, the mixture is enough for two large and four small. Pour very little water, very slowly and only if you think it is necessary.
Tip: Beetroots contain a certain degree of moisture, add the water at will.
Heat the griddle in advance, it must remain very hot so that the colored arepas cook well. Before slipping a napkin soaked in oil on the surface of the pan, budare or griddle. Cook the arepas 5 minutes on each side.
Exquisite and nutritious! These beet arepas taste very good combined with semi-hard white cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, cottage cheese and whey. Although really the imagination is the limit. For this occasion I tried these healthy arepas with goat whey, what a delight!
For me, cooking takes you too many places, trips to very distant places without leaving home. Everything from flavors, smells and colors.
The beet arepa has everything, appearance, flavor and… nutritional contributions for the body. It’s super healthy! The benefits of beets are many: it boosts stamina in the body, fights inflammation, has anti-cancer properties, contains valuable nutrients, contains fiber, helps detoxify the body and lowers blood pressure.
The only contraindication is that due to its high sugar content it is regulated for diabetics and for consumers in general the dose is twice a week. It is important to note that the sweetest part of the vegetable is the root. Beetroot is the sweetest vegetable that exists, it is also a historical sweetener along with carrots.
However, this is not all. Beetroot has no waste, because even its leaves are beneficial. Even more beneficial than the vegetable itself because they contain: proteins, phosphorus, zinc, fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium. In addition, beet greens have… more iron than spinach!
Thanks to this nutritional arsenal, this part of the beet provides very specific benefits for the body: it helps prevent osteoporosis, increases bone strength, fights Alzheimer’s, strengthens the body’s immune system by stimulating the production of antibodies and white blood cells. Rejoice! because this part of the vegetable can be consumed in an unlimited way.
