Solar Roasted Beets - Not Bad

Tuesdays are my busiest day. I have to get up earlier than usual and am away from home all day. If I want to come home to a solar cooked meal I have to do most of the prep work the night before. Last night I didn't do any. That left me with little choice other than throwing a couple of beets in the Sun Oven to roast. At least I'd have tonight's side dish taken care of.

I'll eat beets on occasion. There's a local restaurant we often go to - Joe's Farm Grill - where you can substitute beet salad for fries, and since I'm looking to cut calories wherever possible that's what I do, but I've never said to myself, "I could really go for some beets right now".

Before leaving this morning I scrubbed two beets, tossed them in a dark covered pot, and set it in the Sun Oven. In the past, out of habit, I would wrap them in tin foil first, but today I discovered that they come out even better without it. When I got home I took them out of the Sun Oven and when they were cool enough to handle I peeled them, chopped them up, and drizzled a little olive oil over them. They were so tasty I just may find myself craving more some day.

Solar Roasted Beets

Beets are not one of my favorite vegetables. They're messy and take a long time to cook.  The store bought pre-cooked ones are just so so, and I don't even want to try the canned ones. They just don't seem to be worth all the hassle. But I like to include as wide a selection of vegetables as possible in my diet so every now and then I give them another try. Roasting a few on a day when there's nothing else going on in the Sun Oven may just be the best way to deal with them. The texture and flavor is better than any other beets I've had and the mess was kept to a minimum.

To roast beets in the Sun Oven I wrapped them in tin foil and placed them in a dark enamel pot. I focused the Sun Oven towards the midday sun before leaving for work this morning. When I got home they were fully cooked. After peeling and slicing them I seasoned them with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. To complete our dinner I made mashed potatoes, and steamed carrots and peas to mix in with the reheated stew I solar cooked on Sunday.

Zucchini Chips Win Again

With plenty of leftover brisket in the fridge for dinner I took advantage of the available Sun Oven to do some more experimenting with veggie chips. Today I made a combination of beets, parsnips, and zucchini and once again the zucchini chips are the best. Next time I'm going to use zucchini only.
Veggie chips are very easy to make. Just slice the vegetables thin and spread them out on baking trays coated with cooking spray. Another light spray on the vegetables and place them in the Sun Oven with the door propped open on the latches to allow the steam to escape.  To make the most of the room in the oven chamber I stacked four pizza pans, using metal canning rings to keep them separated. This time we managed to not devour them immediately and I'm looking forward to enjoying them with our lunch tomorrow after volunteering at the Arizona Humane Society.

Solar Cooking Chicken

Today I made Chicken with Two Lemons again. This recipe is definitely a solar cooking keeper. The chicken comes out very moist with a slight hint of lemon. It was ready by early afternoon so I had time to slice up a couple of beets and roast them in the solar oven too. I served it with risotto and kale.