Beets are weird and scary, right? The scientific name says it all: Beta vulgaris.

Yet as a former beet skeptic, I can attest to its versatility and deliciousness in all sorts of dishes. If you want to be daring and try your hand at cooking with these common and inexpensive winter vegetables, download the PDF of beet recipes to get started. They’re designed so you can use the WHOLE beet, from root to leaf.

In it you’ll find a recipe for the greens (rich in fiber, as well as Vitamins A and C): prepared with garlic and olive oil, as well as a recipe for the roots themselves: a dense chocolatey cake that you wouldn’t believe had vegetables in it.

A small bunch of beets, with greens. Image courtesy of “More Than Borscht“