Hello Everyone!  So this time of year there are all kinds of yummy beautiful foods to harvest.  My Mom’s garden has been very bountiful, and one I have been particularly enjoying beets this year!  She normally cans all of her beets, but this year I snagged some fresh beets and roasted them and they were amazing!  If you have never tried cooking with fresh beets, you really have to; they are absolutely delicious, zero points, and so healthy too!  Here are some healthy facts about beets:

• The pigment in beets may help to prevent cancer. [1]
• Beets are a good source of Folate, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C, and Dietery Fiber. [2]

I like to roast the beets, and one really awesome way I found to use them is in a salad with goat cheese.  This salad is delicious and totally good for a meal or a side dish.  Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 Roasted Beets (recipe to follow)
• A mixture of greens, as much as you like.  (I used baby spinach and arugula)
• 2-3 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1 oz of garlic herb goat cheese, crumbled
• Oil and vinegar dressing (recipe to follow)

Instructions:

Toss the roasted beets, greens, and tomatoes together in the oil and vinegar dressing.  Top with the goat cheese and serve the salad up!  I prefer NOT to mix in the goat cheese in with the rest of the salad, because it tends to dissolve.

Roasted Beets:

Peel 3-4 beets in and chop them into medium sized pieces.  Toss them in 2 tsp of good olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until tender.

Oil and Vinegar Salad Dressing

Whisk together 2 tsp of good olive oil, 2 Tbsp of red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp of oregano, and some salt and pepper.

So do any of you ever cook with fresh beets?  How do you like to prepare them?

[1] Yeager, Selene. Prevention’s New Foods For Healing, 1998.

[2] http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2349/2