Pickled beets | A Cooking Light recipe renovationI love pickles and beets, so this Cooking Light recipe inspired me. Fresh raw beets are sliced thin and combined with tiny watermelon cucumbers, then pickled with raspberry-infused wine to make raspberry pickled beets.

The original recipe is by Julianna Grimes for Cooking Light. Instead of roasting the beets, I kept them raw. I used white zinfandel instead of dry rosé and sugar, and used white balsamic vinegar because I didn’t have red wine vinegar. I have a large collection of vinegars in the pantry; despite that, it always seems like I don’t have the one a recipe calls for! Does this happen to you too?

Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, low-sodium, raw, reduced-sugar diets

Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets

Today’s post is part of our mission to help you rebuild your health through food and lifestyle choices. Look for posts on Mondays featuring gluten-free, sugar-free recipes made with healthy plant-based ingredients, Tuesday reviews, Wednesday essays, Thursday how-to’s, and Flashback Fridays recipe posts plus monthly giveaways on the last Friday of the month. We support Meatless Monday.

Pickled beets | A Cooking Light recipe renovation

Raspberry pickled beets

Light and fruity combination of flavors in the pickling jar.
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Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup cucumbers watermelon or Persian (150 g)
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns (whole)
  • 4 sprigs thyme (fresh)
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1-1/2 cups wine (rosé) rosé wine
  • 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp kosher salt reduce to 1/4 tsp for low-sodium diets

Instructions
 

  • Scrub the beets and slice as thinly as you can using a sharp knife or mandoline.
  • Wash the tiny cucumbers and drain.
  • Place the beets, cucumbers, peppercorns, and thyme in a heatproof glass jar.
  • Simmer the raspberries, wine, vinegar, and salt until the raspberries start to break down, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; mash with a fork.
  • Strain with a wire mesh strainer into the jar. Refrigerate overnight. The flavors will continue to develop. Refrigerate pickles like this; they keep about three months.

Notes

Per serving:  
  • 53 calories
  • 0 g fat
  • 0 g cholesterol
  • 309 mg sodium (56 mg if reducing salt to 1/4 tsp)
  • 42 mg potassium
  • 9 g carbohydrate
  • 2 g fiber
  • 5 g sugars
  • 1 g protein
  • 1  Weight Watchers Points Plus
Required FTC disclosure: I am part of the Cooking Light Bloggers' Connection. The watermelon cucumbers were sent to me by Melissa's Produce. I was not paid to write this post.
For raw food diets, use a thermometer and gently heat the raspberry mixture to no higher than 110F/43C. It will take much longer for them to soften and break down.