Beets!

My favorite way to eat beats is to roast them.

(dont forget- the green tops are delicious. treat them like any other green).

There are two ways to roast beets:

	Roast first- then chop	Chop first- then roast
What you do:	· Wash the beets well, trim off the ends. (peel, if you want) · Cut the beet into quarters · Wrap in aluminum foil and place in the over at 375˚ F until soft (about an hour) (Note- the oven time is flexible. I try and roast beets while I am cooking something else in the oven)	· Wash the beets well, trim off the ends. (peel, if you want) · Chop the beets into small cubes · Place on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil · Roast in oven at 375˚ F- first 15-20 minutes covered, then 10-20 minutes uncovered. (oven temperature can be up to 400˚ F)
Advantages:	· Its much cleaner- few things are messier than chopping uncooked beets- the juices get everywhere and can stain · Its easier to chop- uncooked beets are very hard, and this method saves you chopping time	· Less cooking time · More slightly crispy/ caramelized edges · You can add flavors while roasting- like citrus, garlic, or herbs · You can roast with other veggies (see below)
Disadvantages:	· Takes longer to cook	· Its much messier- few things are messier than chopping uncooked beets- the juices get everywhere and can stain · Its harder to chop- uncooked beets are very hard, and this method saves you chopping time

what to do with roasted beets:

• serve with goat cheese!
• serve with citrus vinaigrette or honey mustard vinaigrette
• serve in a salad (or in a salad with goat cheese)

Sweet Beet & Veggie Roast

• chop the beets (see above)
• chop parsnip & carrots & red onions
• optional- garlic cloves still in the peel (see below)
  
• place in lasanga pan
• drizzle with olive oil
• roast covered, and then uncovered in a 375˚F oven
  
• veggies are done when they are super tender (time will depend on how many veggies you have, but its usually at leats 40 min)

Savory Beet & Veggie Roast

• chop the beets (see above). but beets are optional.
  
• chop parsnip & carrots & onions & turnips
• add garlic cloves- peeled or unpeeled. see below.
  
• optional- chop a fennel bulb
  
• place in lasanga pan
• drizzle with olive oil
• optional- mix in crushed dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried basil, (any of the above, all of the above, or other herbs of your choice)
• optional- mix in chopped greens (like beet greens, collard, kale, chard, etc). volume of veggies should be around 1/3 volume of whole dish when raw. Maximum 1/2 of dish)
  
• roast covered, and then uncovered in a 375˚F oven
  
• veggies are done when they are super tender (time will depend on how many veggies you have, but its usually at least 40 min)

Note about the garlic:

• you can roast the garlic peeled or unpeeled
• if you peel it, the garlic will better flavor all the other veggies
• if you roast the individual cloves while still in the peel, the cloves will get soft and caramelized, and will pop right out of the peel when fully cooked
• I like both- so I always put in some cloves peeled and some unpeeled.