This is an amazing dish and the slow boiling brings out the sweetness of the Beets whilst retaining all the important nutrients in the cooking water. And the coconut oil adds a creamy taste as well as a boost for the liver. Added, the Lutein and Lycopene in the Tomatoes are incredibly good for eye health, whilst the detoxifying and liver supporting powers of the Beets are backed up by sulphur and allicin rich onion and garlic. And with the slow cooker this is both super fun and super easy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Large Onion, chopped

3 cloves of Garlic, crushed

3 Large Organic Beets chopped into bite size chunks

3 Organic Tomatoes (chopped) or ½ 14oz / 400g tin Organic chopped Tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp crushed black pepper and /or ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

Method:

Pop the Beets, Tomatoes, salt and pepper in the slow cooker and set to low heat

In a frying pan, heat the Olive oil and Cumin seeds over medium heat until cumin seeds are brown (2 mins)

Add Garlic and Onion and stir occasionally for a further 5 mins until onions are softened. Then pour into the slow cooker

Pop the lid on the slow cooker and let it heat up for an hour to 90 mins. The crucial thing now is to then turn the heat to the “warm” setting – this prevents the beets from drying out and burning. Then leave to cook for about 8 hours or overnight, giving it a stir mid-way through if possible

Additional ideas:

• Add 1 tsp of turmeric and / or 1 tsp of ginger to the onions and garlic as they cook
• Omit the spices and substitute 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar

Super-spice (and other natural ingredient) properties:

Beets: Functional benefits: Liver health – stimulates liver detoxification process

Cumin seed: Functional benefits: digestive aid; anti-cancer; anti-inflammatory; anti-bacterial; anti-fungal; enhances liver’s detoxification enzymes

Cayenne Pepper: Functional benefits: Cardio vascular health – preventing blood clot formation, reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood; Digestion – stimulating and eliminates certain parasites in the bacterial tract; analgesic with proven treatment for arthritis, skin and muscle pain; anti-bacterial; anti-fungal; effective against bronchitis

Garlic: Nutritional Highlights: Sulphur rich – sulphur helps liver detoxification of stress hormones, environmental toxins, microbial products, drugs and food additives and heavy metals; helps lower blood pressure, helps lower cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, immuno-supportive, anti-biotic

Onion: Functional benefits: Atherosclerosis and heart disease – decreases total cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, decreases blood lipid levels, prevents clot formation; Anti-cancer – arrests tumor growth and destroys tumor cells; Lowers blood sugar; Asthma treatment – relaxes bronchial muscles and inhibits bronchial muscle spasms; Rich in Allicin and Sulphur compounds: similar properties to Garlic; Rich in Flavonoid Quercetin: Anti-oxidant; helps reduce inflammation; promotes activity of hormones (eg insulin); treatment of allergies.

Tomatoes: Functional benefits: Phyto-nutrients: Very high in Carotenoid Lycopene: cancer protective (especially for breast, colon, lung, skin and prostate cancers), lowers risk of heart disease, cataracts and macular degeneration. Good source of Carotenoid Lutein – anti-oxidant, promotes healthy eyesight and prevents macular degeneration and cataracts

Adapted from:

Jaffrey, M. (2002). Indian Cooking. New York, N.Y.: Baron’s Educational Series

Bains, G. (2011). Indian Superfood. Bath, UK: Absolute Press

Murray, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of Healing Food. New York, N.Y.: Atria Books