Easy, Light, Vitamin-Packed:Roasted Beet Salad

Last weekend at the farmers market, I picked up a bunch of beets on a whim. I love beets, but I have never tried to prepare them myself before, so I was going out on a limb. Beets are actually quite cheap: they were about $2 for a bunch of 6 small beets with the greens on. Here's how I made a delicious roasted beet salad!

Preheat oven to 425 F

1) Wash and scrub the beets meticulously. I thought I washed mine well, but I tried roasting the tops along with slices of the beets and they were grainy.

2) Cut off the leafy parts to use in salads and smoothies

3) Slice your beets into quarter inch slices, and discard the tops with fibrous roots. I actually cut up the stalks and roasted those, but the branching stalk immediately attached to the beet was very tough and dirty...so just compost those.

4) Toss beets (and about a half a chopped onion) in a few tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of sea salt, and any other herb you'd like (rosemary, thyme, dill, or fennel would all be good).

5) Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. Turn about mid-way through. You know when they're done when you can easily poke them with a fork (sorta like checking potatoes).

6) Load up a plate, top with a little balsamic vinegar, ANY curd cheese (I used queso fresco, but you could also use feta, goat cheese, etc) and enjoy!

So easy and delicious! I roasted all my beets, and now I have an extra-special topping for my lunch salads this week :)