Why Beets are Wonderful

For the past few months I have been consciously trying to make "good" food choices. Not dieting, or eliminating any part of my diet (yes I still love pork)...but learning what a portion really is, and eating less 4 legged animals and less hard cheeses (difficult but I'm managing) and less dessert. I am not a salad fan but I've found that I'm in love with arugula, and nothing pairs better with arugula than beets.

Friends have told me that they have no idea how to make beets, and are intimidated by them. Beets are one of the most low maintenance vegetables around, and they are sweet, filling and delicious and a great source of natural fiber. I try to incorporate them into my diet at least 4 times a week...another wonderful thing about beets is that local beets are available at the farm (upstate) from June through the end of November, and at the farmers markets well into December...and they keep for weeks in the fridge...therefore you can really have local beets for 8-9 months out of the year. There are many varieties of beets, I think the dark purple are the sweetest and the best way to cook them is to simply roast them whole. Don't cut the beets before roasting them because the high temperature that you have to roast them will dry them out...after roasting them you can do various things to them. You can also saute the beet greens in a little garlic and onion.

Simple beet recipe:

Preheat the oven to 425F
Cut the stems and greens off of the beets
Place beets in the center of a large sheet of aluminum foil and bunch the foil around the beets to form a pouch. Then place beets in the center of the oven.
Let beets roast for at least an hour and 15 minutes (longer for larger beets) until a fork can easily pierce through without much give.
Remove the beets from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes
Peel the skin and cut as desired.
Refrigerate or serve.
You can also add red wine vinegar and red onion and salt and pepper to the beets and marinate for a few hours for a tasty beet salad.