Give beets a chance...a foodie friday

Known in the south as something that you typically only eat pickled and and stains your hands horribly beets have gotten a bad wrap. But recently they have come to surface as a great natural dye. And rightly so...they make wonderful natural food coloring that you can easily use to dye Easter eggs, cake icing and even tie dye clothing. But they taste WONDERFUL and have a vast array of health benefits. My favorite way to fix beets is to roast them. So, today I share a delicious recipe with you and as an added bonus, health benefits too!

Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
(from http://www.ebfarm.com/)

Beets:

8 medium beets (red and gold)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar

Vinaigrette:

3 oranges
2 lemons
1 lime
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Salad:

Lettuces of your choice, 6 cups
30 spears of asparagus, blanched
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
3 navel oranges, segmented
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
20 springs fresh chervil
1/2 cup feta, crumbled (optional)

pre-heat oven to 400f. Make marinade by whisking oil, thyme, vinegar, onion in bowl. Prepare each color beet separately. Toss each color with 1/3 cup marinade. roast each color in a separate pan, covered with foil for 1 hour or until soft. Cool, peel, cut into segments.
To make vinaigrette, juice the citrus & place in non-reactive pan. Over medium heat, reduce juice by 3-quarters. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss some vinaigrette on the salad greens. Transfer to platter and place beets on top. Arrange remaining edible garnish around platter and drizzle with vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Beets help with:
anemia
digestion
constipation
skin care
gall bladder issues
colon cancer
heart disease

beets are nutrient, vitamin and mineral dense...give them a try (or second chance) and let me know what you think!