Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Beauty of Beets



I had my first beet at the age of 48 when my husband and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary. These beets weren't ordinary. They were roasted, tossed with a little olive oil and salt and sprinkled with crumbles of blue cheese. I couldn't get over the simple, sweet and interesting taste of these beets not to mention the color they brought to my plate. How satisfying!

Beets have many health benefits which is why my husband has taken to drinking beet juice on a regular basis. To learn more about the benefits of beets, click here.

Here's how I prepare my beets at home:

I do peel my beets first - oops! The previous website says not to, but I do it because it's easier. So...I wash and peel my beets. I have a wonderful vegetable peeler from Cutco Cutlery that I bought from a friend. Then I place them in a shallow pyrex dish, add about a cup of water and then roast at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour. I remove them, drain them, let them cool, slice them and then toss in some olive oil and salt and - you guessed it - sprinkle them with blue cheese crumbles. Sometimes I eat my beets just like this and sometimes I add them to a bountiful salad. Leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator and I do try to finish off every bit.

So...if you haven't tried beets lately, give it a go!