I can’t stand the smell, the texture, or the taste of beetroot. I think it’s nasty and if you ever serve it to me raw – say, in a salad – I’ll take it as an act of aggression and never speak to you again.

I’m kidding, I won’t take it personally. I’ll just push the beetroot outside the plate and try to ignore the fact that it ever featured on it. I’m sorry, I simply can’t stand beetroot.

But you know what? I buy beetroot every week. I buy it for myself! I buy it… and I eat it. I eat it a lot actually.

But I eat it with chocolate – in sweet breads, protein cakes, and protein muffins ;-)

I don’t do this out of twisted desire to attack my tastebuds, out of a wacked-out sense of duty to who knows who, or because I feel I HAVE to. I do it wilfully. I go out of my way to buy beetroot.

WHY!?

For two reasons: 1. because the stuff is a nutritional powerhouse! It’s full of vitamins, minerals, and when consumed peri-workout, it’s been argued to positively impact performance and recovery and 2. because – when used it moderation – it sets chocolate baked stuff on faaayah!

Now, I don’t need to convince you about the first reason. The nutritional benefits of beetroot have been well-documented (for a pretty general overview, turn here). But I do probably need to convince you about the second, especially if you, like me, hate beetroot. I won’t do it through words, no. I’ll do it through this recipe. I’ll let the bread do the talking ;-)

Ingredients:

3 small cooked beetroots (300g in total)
1/4 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup 100% cocoa powder
1/2 cup strong whey protein powder
1/2 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup chocolate egg white protein (or, if you don’t have it… just throw in two whole eggs)
1 tablespoon chocolate extract (this is 100%
optional but hnnnng)

Directions:

Blend everything together and bake in a bread loaf mold (I used a silicone one, this) at 170 C (332 F) for about 35-45 minutes or until when stabbed with a knife your knife comes out clean. Depending on which protein powders you use your timing *may* vary so just keep an eye on it and remove it from the oven when it looks done.

Macros per slice (out of 10):

84kcals
9g protein
5g carbs (out of which 3g is fiber!)
3g fat

I had a slice of it last night – fresh out of the oven, with some peanut butter and a scoop of WheyHey protein ice cream on top. It was scrumptious!!!!!!!

And it always shocks me because, well… it contains beetroot!?

I then had another couple of slices this morning with my coffee (Gerard had his with peanut butter), before hitting the gym and BAAAM! I had an awesome workout :-D

Ah, beetroot… you weird controversial vegetable; I guess the moral of your story is “don’t judge a root by it’s color – or smell, or texture, or taste.” Thank you for being you.

PS: For more examples of beetroot’s ability to set protein food on fire, turn to the Pink Protein Muffins in the Protein Pow Cookbook or the Red Velvet protein bars in my Protein Bar Ebook! They both showcase beetroot in all its controversial glory