Beets Can't Be Beat

Beets belong to the chenopod family (other members include brother chard, sister spinach, and little baby quinoa) and have multiple health benefits not easily found in other foods.  Beet phytonutrients contribute to the health of our nervous system, and the red and yellow batalin phytonutrients specifically help our bodies by having anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and detoxification effects.

I have loved beets ever since I was a little girl and my Grandma Erma would pickle them in the summer.  With the encouragement of my sister-in-law, Julia, I decided it was time once again to add beets to my diet...and of course the diet of my guinea pig family.

I chose to roast both a red and a golden beet as our veggies for the night.  I started by slicing off the ends and placing them in a foil pocket.  I drizzled a little olive oil on top to keep them moist, and then placed them in the oven at 375º for about an hour*.  Batalin levels decrease as a food is cooked, so it is best to limit steaming to 15 minutes and roasting to 1 hour.

A beet is cooked when a knife is easily inserted and removed.  Once done, the skin can be peeled away fairly easily and the beet prepared Westley style - "as you wish."

*The rest of the story played out as such: I apparently do not have the willpower to wait an hour for anything new that I try.  I had trust issues with multiple factors, including the chef who told me what to do, the manufacturer of our oven, and my ability to properly follow directions.  I therefore removed the red beet after about a half hour and proceeded to eat it even though it was like chewing soft tree bark.  I forced myself to wait on the yellow guy, and he turned out fabulously.  Whit and I both munched them up while Andy watched with a look on his face of "I can't believe he likes to eat the weird stuff that Joy does."