I love beets. Any color. Any time. The musky deep essence created by roasting adds another dimension and complexity to the beets — so much so they do not require any other flavoring. Of course, it is always wise to eat some fat with your vegetables to aid in mineral absorption, so a light dressing of extra virgin olive oil would complement the taste.
Cooked beets are high in Vitamin A and folate with a little choline as well. They are loaded with potassium and there is also calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium. The color of red/purple beetroot is due to a variety of betalain pigments. The composition of different betalain pigments can vary, giving breeds of beetroot which are yellow or other colors in addition to the familiar deep red. These pigments are also powerful antioxidants.
Beetroot or garden beets are different than sugar beets. Sugar beets are a commodity crop used to make sugar and unfortunately some of that crop is now genetically modified. Just to be sure, I only eat organic beets.
Beets are used traditionally in Jewish culture as a soup called borscht. I remember my mother eating this with a dollop of sour cream. At some time in the future I will attempt to make borscht.
Beet kvass is a fermented beet drink which I love, full of nutrition and very cleansing to the liver. However, beets are high in oxalates which may cause problems for people who form oxalate kidney stones and for those who are sensitive to oxalates in general.
Most people find that the red color of beets are passed through to the urine and stools — easily mistaken for blood! Just remember that you ate beets the day before!
Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients
Three to four large red or yellow organic beets
Instructions
- Clean and cut off stems and cut the beets in half
- Place the beets in a baking pan with a little water
- In a 350 degree F oven bake the beets for 1 – 2 hours or until a knife goes through easily
- Remove from oven and cool
- Peel the beets (this is a lot easier after they are cooked)
- Cut up into small cubes
- Serve with extra virgin olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar or any good salad dressing (here is my walnut balsamic dressing)
This post is shared at: Sunday School, Sugar-Free Sunday, Monday Mania, Barnyard Hop, Homemaker Monday, Real Food 101, Meatless Monday, My Meatlesss Monday, Melt in Mouth Monday, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Tidbits, Hearth & Soul Hop, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, What’s Cooking Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Sustainable Ways, Day 2Day, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Mommy Club, What’s Cooking Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Turning the Table Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Creative Juice Thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food
Made From Scratch Tuesday
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Very nicely written and going on my must try list right now. We are beet fans, too, and I love the simplicity.
pamela
I honestly think roasted beets with a good quality balsamic = fantastic deliciousness. I also like the way the balsamic gives the beets a little bit of a pickle. So good!! Now throw some feta in there and I’m in heaven!
Hi Kristy,
Sounds delish!
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I have never cooked beats before. Thanks for sharing. I may have to try these. http://gangi-homecooking.blogspot.com/
Beautiful beets. Reminds me I need to make some soon. I cooked some a few weeks ago to try a cake using beets, but ended up making a salad with them.
I was just looking for something to do with the 10lbs of beets we pulled out of the garden. Here is a simple dish that will be featured on our dinner plates tonight. Thanks for sharing!
I love beets too, especially when you can get them in lots of different colours. Your salad looks delicious, as well as nutritious. Thank you for sharing it with the Hearth and Soul hop.
Beets are one of my favorites! And, I am a firm believer that roasting makes everything better!
Hi Jill,
We just love Roasted Beets and this salad looks delicious. We will be trying your salad very soon. Hope you are having a great week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I am definitely going to try this. I have only seen the red beets. I didn’t know they would take so long to cook in the oven. I confess that I don’t normally buy these fresh, though my mother in law pickles them.
I am not a big fan of beets but this salad looks like I would really enjoy it. I do want to give it a try and hopefully become converted to beets. This is being featured on My Meatless Mondays. Come on over, tomorrow and visit.
Thanks once again for sharing your fabulous recipes with Food Blog: Post of the Day.
JoAnn Ryan
Food4um.com
Hi JoAnn,
Thanks for featuring this recipe! Your blog rocks!
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great week and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Miz Helen
Thanks you Miz Helen. I’m thrilled! I’ll be sure to stop by!
Slightly late, but thank you so much for linking up to Friday Food last week on Momtrends.com! I always think beets are so pretty, but never know exactly what to do with them. ~Shannon
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