Beets are beautiful – raw or roasted!

This bunch of big, beautiful, brilliant beets was tossed casually onto the table.   Disregarded.   Late afternoon sunlight warmed the leaves, leaving them languid.

Raw beets? Yeah!

Beets are one of the most amazing additions to juice.  If you have a juicer, add this to your recipes.  If you have a blender, like I do, peel the beet, chop it into small enough pieces for your blender to handle, and mix it with juice from a fresh-squeezed orange, some kale, and a baby carrot or two.  Revel in the color and the flavor!

Roasted beets? Even better.

First off, what can you do with the greens and stems?

Steam them, saute them, save them for soup stock, but definitely do not throw them out.

What can you do with a roasted beet?  

• Slice them and serve them warm as a side.
• Let them cool and then slice ‘em, dice ‘em, cube ‘em, etc. and serve them with a green salad. Make a beet salad by adding walnuts, chives, and soft goat cheese;
• Make homemade beet chips – such a treat!
• Cube them and toss them in a pan with some olive oil and garlic to crisp up the outsides a bit. I do this with my breakfast bowls, mixing the beets with some pre-cooked quinoa, sauteed beet greens, and an egg.

How to Roast Beets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off both ends of the beet. Keep the greens for later.

Rinse the beets and use a vegetable scrubber to remove any dirt.

Place each beet, flat side down, on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive or avocado oil.

Wrap each beet in the foil. Place on a baking sheet and cook for 30-45 minutes, for medium to large beets.

When the beets cool, remove the foil and use your fingers or a butter knife to peel the skin off.

Slice and store the beets for later use.