This red velvet pudding is super easy to make and is sweet and delicious. You just throw everything into your blender, and chill to thicken and set. This simple dessert is vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly.
This pudding is fantastic for kids because it tastes like cake and is infused with hidden nutrition. I’m using beet root to get the signature deep red velvet color, and I’m adding beet greens for more health-promoting potential.
I shared this red velvet pudding on the Facebook Live I did with Sur La Table last year to celebrate their partnership with KitchenAid and Chef Joel Gamoran for the Scraps TV show on the A & E Network.
Chef Joel travels around America in his van Pippy (a traveling kitchen) and makes incredible recipes with food scraps with amazing chefs. I love this show. Season 2 starts soon! Check it out.
How much food are you wasting? Food waste is a huge national and global issue, and about 50% of produce is wasted. We are often throwing away parts of produce we can use in delicious recipes.
Beets are a classic example of waste. We often use the beet roots and throw away the beet greens. Beet greens can be thrown into smoothies and are delicious sautéed with oil, garlic, and spices. You can also add beet greens to fortify desserts with more nutrition.
Beet greens are unusual but spectacular additions to recipes because they’re chock-full of nutrients, providing even more than the roots. Beet greens contains protein with all the essential amino acids. Beet greens also provide vitamins A, C, E, and K, along with calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and manganese to help boost immunity, assist with respiratory, bone, and heart health, and build healthy blood. These greens are also high in tryptophan, which encourages the production of serotonin, a mood elevator that can help you get good-quality sleep.
Beets belong to the same family as chard, and beet greens have a similar texture and milder flavor that is less bitter than kale and collard greens.
However, beet greens can give recipes an earthy edge much like their roots. They will also turn most blends a dark, muddy brown color. To rescue your blend from this swamp-water hue add vibrant crimson foods like cranberry, pomegranate, and grape juices, and beet root, berries, and red grapes. Or embrace the brown and go with chocolate and banana!
Beet greens aren’t sold separately, so you’ll need to buy whole beets with the greens attached. Or, since most people want the leaves chopped off their beets, make friends with vendors at your your local farmers’ market and get them for free! Become friends with your local vendors.
When choosing beet greens, choose fresh bunches of beets with leaves that are dark green and roots that are firm and not shriveled. Avoid leaves that are wilted or yellowing. Beet roots and leaves are typically covered with a light layer of soil. They need to be washed thoroughly.
I fill the sink up with cold water and submerge the greens, and then drain in a colander. Beet greens wilt very quickly, so lay them on top of some paper towel to absorb any excess moisture, store them in the vegetable crisper of your fridge, and consume within 3 days.
In this Red Velvet Pudding you can’t taste the beet greens or the beets. But, you do need to enjoy the pudding within a few hours or making it as the beets get more assertive, and those sensitive to beet flavors will taste it.
I use the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series blender to make my recipes and I get a really smooth texture with this pudding. Chef Joel is also a huge fan of the Pro Line® Series blender and uses it to make delicious recipes on the road in the show.
If you’re using a conventional blender, grate or lightly steam the beet root and finely chop the beet greens for the best texture with this recipe.
What other food scraps can you be using in recipes?
Check out the Scraps TV show for creative ideas. It is so much fun!
*I am a paid ambassador for KitchenAid® blenders but my opinions are my own.
