members recipes

Ingredients
Fresh beets;
e.v olive oil;
sea salt;
fresh pepper;
aluminum foil;
paper towels

Method
I'll never understand why people eat beets from a can. Those rubbery wonders have nothing to do with the real taste and texture of a fresh beet that's been simply roasted and sliced. Think about the actual nutrition you're losing out on by eating the sorry, boiled canned version -- they are so depleted of nutrients. OK, and I had to come around to this eventually -- they taste like crap in comparison.

One red beet has only 35 calories and is rich in Folate, B6, Vitamin C, Iron and more. And they are so simple to prepare, requiring nearly no effort.

Tip: Save the beet greens and saute them with a little olive oil and sliced garlic, as you would with spinach, until tender. Great side dish or on bruschetta.

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Wash beets of any dirt and remove the stems.
Place each beet in the center of a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Seal the packets tightly, place on a tray in the oven and roast for 45 minutes.

When they are done, open the packets and let them cool. (You may want to use rubber gloves for this part.) Using doubled-up sections of paper towel, gently rub the skins off of the beets. They will come off really easily and you'll be left with just the beautiful red veg.

There are many options to serve them:

* slice while warm, drizzle over your favorite vinaigrette and season with s and p.
* chill whole beats, slice, and serve as a salad ... crumble goat's cheese over, sprinkle with walnuts and sliced spring onions ...use a mustard vinaigrette to dress the salad.
* top each slice with a dollop of cream cheese, a piece of smoked trout, and a sprinkle of dill.
* puree with horseradish cream to make an accompaniment to fish (smoked or cured).
* layer beets with gorgonzola and arugula on pannini or nut bread and grill.
* make borscht!