ODE TO BEETS

I know many folks who love beets anyway they are presented.  I know some folks who deeply dislike beets mostly related to a childhood experience.  I urge you to give them another try.  Yes, they are very good for you! 

Check this link below for an abundance of information related to nutrition.  I was going to list a lot of the content in my entry but I think that checking it all out for yourself will be more useful.
nutritional content and facts about beets

I will now give you some recipes:

Spicy Beet Bloody Marys
makes 4 cocktails
preheat oven to 400
wrap 3 halved red beets (any color will do) in foil and roast until tender, 45 minutes
remove from oven, open foil, and let cool
in a blender or food processor, blend beets, 3 cups tomato juice, 2 T pepperocini juice, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 T freshly ground black pepper, 2 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp prepared horseradish, and 1/2 tsp garlic until smooth
fill 4 glasses with ice and 1 1/2 ounces of vodka (or not) and fill to the top with the beet mixture and garnish with celery

Beet Slaw
(I do not peel the beets but if you want them peeled, do that first)
shred 4 large beets using a hand grater or food processor
cut 1 torpedo onion into thin rounds; use the green part of the onion too
slice 3 cucumbers into rounds
chop 1/4 cup fresh dill or parsley
combine all the above in a bowl
make a dressing:
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T dijon mustard
dash of salt and black pepper
pour over vegetables and let sit up to an hour before serving

Roasted Beets and Potatoes
heat oven to 450
cut the beets and potatoes into wedges
toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary or thyme
spread out in single layer on a baking sheet
let cook, stirring once or twice for about 30 minutes ( until a fork easily goes in)
transfer roasted veggies to a bowl and crumble blue cheese over them and eat hot or cold.

Cyril taste testing gold and chiogga beets