Day 346: Fragrant Roasted Beets ◄

Roasted beets are delicious -- though nothing novel enough for a food blog in its twelfth month dedicated to vegetables in new ways every single day. (In fact, roasted/baked beets made their first appearance way back on Day 24. And roasting these beets, well, it's the first time to notice how A Veggie Venture is coming full circle, that we're about to move back into spring-ish vegetables, leaving the winter's roots and purees behind. I'm happy to welcome back favorites like beets and asparagus but it feels a little sad, too, an ending of sorts.) But fragrant roasted beets, now that caught my attention! (Yours too? You're reading, yes?!) But too-too-bad, the fragrance didn't permeate the beets. It didn't even "smell up" the kitchen, which would have been good enough on a wintry day. I tried star anise, fennel and lavender with three large (nearly one pound each) beets. (The star anise and fennel were suggested from the inspiring recipe from The Splendid Table, adapted from Vegetable from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference.) When I opened the foil packets after roasting -- sniff! -- there was no telling one from the other! It may be impossible for fragrance to permeate large beets. But ... I'm going back to Day 208's balsamic vinegar for fragrance and flavor. NUTRITION NOTES ... Beets are low in calories and -- because of high fiber -- also low in NetCarbs. And they taste soooo good! If you've only had canned beets, DO venture into roasting fresh beets. There's no comparison! FROM THE ARCHIVES ... There's a collection of great beet recipes in the Recipe Box. FRAGRANT ROASTED BEETS Bookmark or print this recipe only Hands-on time: 10 minutes (5 minutes to prep, 5 minutes to finish) Time to table: forever (these beets took nearly 2 hours to roast, good thing they were for another night) Serves 4 1 pound beets Per beet: 1/2 a star anise or 1 teaspoon anise or lavendar or ... or ... Trim off the beet greens, leaving a couple of inches of stem. Wash very well. Wrap tightly in foil along with the fragrances. Roast at 375F until the beets are tender enough for a knife to easily slip into the center. NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 49 Cal (3% from Fat, 14% from Protein, 83% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 11 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb8; 18 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 88 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1/2 point
(c) Copyright 2006 Kitchen Parade
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I'm going to try this for the first time using your "Fragrances" -I love it! & olive oil, on beets & parsnips. You are my go-to for veggies. You always have THE best Recipes. Thank you, Alanna!

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna