Beets, I am happy to report, have a very long season compared to some veggies - from summer to winter. Beets are a root vegetable and have a red or white flesh. The red variety is usually the most popular - the white variety when cut open looks like a "target" basically white flesh with circular red rings, which is known as a Candy Cane beet.

Picking your Beets:-

Choose beets that are of the same size with the stalks and leaves attached. Pick the nicest you can - the leaves should be bright and not have any discoloration. Approximately 2-3 inches in diameter are perfect, as they are younger, sweeter and cook evenly. The larger beets are also great, but they are woodier and less sweet. However, when you roast any beet, especially the large ones they still turn out delicious. They can be roasted as in this recipe, which is my preferred method, boiled, microwaved or shredded raw into a salad.

Beet Nutrition :- Beets are a great source of vitamin C, folate, potassium and fiber.

The day I made my Roasted Beets with Greens recipe, was the first time my children tried them. And as always, I didn't make enough - they were so disappointed. I hope you try this recipe as it is very healthy, delicious, bright and beautiful.

Ingredients

8 - 10 beets with leaves attached
Olive oil
1/2 cup red onions, halved and sliced thinly
2 large fresh cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. raspberry vinegar or 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar (optional)
1/4 cup scallions (green onions) thinly sliced on the bias
2 cups of baby arugula (rocket)

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1. Prepare the beets - Remove the stalks approximately 1 inch from the top of the beets. Rinse and scrub the beets - pat them dry and rub with a little olive oil. Remove the leaves from the stalks, rinse these and pat dry with paper towels and roughly chop. Set aside.

2. Roast the beets on cookie/sheet pan lined with parchment paper and roast for approximately 40 - 60 minutes until they can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and let them cool enough to be handled. With your hands, rub the skin off of the beets (you may want to use rubber gloves) and then cut the beets into bite-sized chunks (or slice if you prefer) and refrigerate to chill for at least 1 hour.

3. While the beets are roasting heat 3 tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat for 3 minutes and add the beet greens, garlic and red onions along with the salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring often until the greens are wilted, 3-5 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator along with the beets.

4. In a large bowl combine the beets along with the greens and the scallions. Drizzle a tbsp. of olive oil on top and toss well. Serve on a platter or a bowl on top of a bed of arugula. Enjoy