Beet It!

I think beets are one of those foods you either love or hate….there’s no in between. Personally, I love them (even though my hands look like I participated in some sort of regrettable ritual after cutting them) and welcome creative ways to prepare them. Martha, my idol (we talked about this before), has an absolutely divine chocolate beet cake recipe on her website that I think I will try BUT, will defy the instructions and ice with a cream cheese frosting. There is also beet gnocchi, beet risotto with roasted beets, beet sorbet, or beet soup, otherwise known as borscht, which I have never made but have happily devoured many times. But, today, I explain how to make roasted beets. I found the basic recipe on allrecipes.com and tinkered a bit!

Beets – a stunning vegetable – are a good source of iron and magnesium, are low in calories and fat and high in fiber…in fact, the Romans used beets to treat constipation! Take that Correctol!

Roasted Beets
1 lb of beets (don’t discard those leaves…prepare them as you would spinach or chard)
Olive oil to coat
1 tablespoons orange peel
Salt to taste
Rosemary, Herbs De Provence, or Thyme (or any other herbs whose flavor you’d like to hint)


Peel the beets with a potato peeler and cut into chunks.

Line a medium roasting pan with a piece of foil large enough to fold over the beets. Drizzle the beets with the olive oil.

Sprinkle with the orange peel.

Top with herbs.

Seal the foil tightly and bake at 400° for about 1 hour.

Serve these little beauties on skewers alternating beets and orange slices atop grilled chicken, rice and the beet greens sautéed in olive oil and garlic. Or, simply toss in a field green salad with goat cheese crumbles and walnuts! And, of course, you can serve them as a gorgeous side dish. So easy and delicious. The tanginess of the orange blends so nicely with the sweetness of the beets and the earthiness of the herbs. Yum.