Fresh Pick of the Week: Beets

Roasted Beets and Carrots with cooked Beet Greens

Both the red or golden root and leafy greens of this year-round vegetable are great for fall and winter dishes. The combination of the betacyanins (how beets get their vibrant color!) and filling-fiber in these roots may protect against colon cancer and help to keep your digestive system running regularly. Don't be alarmed by the red color in your toilet- it's just a sign of the beets keeping things moving :)

We often see cooked red beets on salads paired with goat cheese and walnuts, but you can get quite creative with this tasty vegetable. Try the root (red or golden) cut up raw in matchsticks, roasted with carrots (like pictured) or even pickled. Make sure you grab a bunch with the green tops too; the greens are slightly sweet- I love them sauteed with olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper.




To simply roast a beet:

• Slice off the green tops (and reserve for another yummy use). Scrub the exterior with a wet towel.
• Wrap the root in tin foil, poke with a fork a couple times. 
• Place on a baking dish also covered with foil in the oven at 375 degrees for about 1 hour (until fork-tender), rotating halfway through. (Why all the foil? Beets have natural sugar in them. Using the foil will help protect your oven and baking dish from the caramelized sugar this process will produce.)