Sweet Sautéed Beets With Greens

This is a dish I have been craving since the first time I made it. Sweet and savory, so delicious a new favorite! I grew up eating pickled beets that my grandmother made fresh from her garden. I could have eaten the whole jar if she wasn't looking. I have always been a fan of beets. But after I grew up I rarely ate them. I guess I never really knew how to prepare them or what to do with them until recently. I decided one day to try this out and I am so glad for a successful experiment!

Also, I recently bought an iron skillet that I found at a flea market for ten dollars! It was unused and "unseasoned". I seasoned it initially by coating it in oil and baking it in my oven upside down, with a sheet of tin foil on the rack below it, for about an hour at 400 degrees. This gave it the nice black coating. Since I have been using it, it has gotten blacker and more non-stick. I love it now that it is easier to cook in! I will be using this instead of my old cheapy non-stick pans with all of the unknown toxins leaching slowly into my foods. Iron is good for you, so a little bit of iron leached into your food can only be a good thing. As the guy at the flea market said "the original iron supplement"!

Sautéed Beets
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp water
1 bunch of beets with the greens
2 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetner
sea salt to taste

Directions:
Cut the greens off the beets at the base and rinse very well. Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush or peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut off the roots and the stems then slice. Depending on the size of the greens, leave whole or chop a bit if they are large.

In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in coconut oil until they start to caramelize or brown, stirring frequently. Add in the beets and saute for a couple minutes stirring frequently. Then add the water, cover with the lid and let them steam for about 5-6 minutes. Stir again and add in the beet greens on top and cover and let it continue to steam for about another 5 minutes. Once the beets are soft and the greens wilted, add in the maple syrup, sprinkle with some sea salt and stir, saute for about 2 more minutes. I listed this as a side, but I eat this as an entree I love it so much! Warning this dish is highly addictive if you like beets!