Beets

Beets can be eaten raw, roasted, steamed, grilled, boiled, and baked. They are, of course, the featured vegetable in borscht, and they star in all kinds of salads. The tasty greens can be used in all the ways spinach and chard are. Fresh beets keep well for weeks in the refrigerator in a paper or perforated plastic bag. The greens can also be stored in a plastic bag, but only for a few days at most. Cooked beets keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Regardless of how you cook them, be sure to leave the tail, skin, and at least an inch of the stems attached to keep the valuable juices locked inside. Beets are easier to peel after they're cooked, so just scrub them and cook them with their skins on.

Nutrition

Both filling and nutritious, the beet is a great source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and folate. Most of the calories in beets (though there aren’t many) derive from beet sugars, but unlike table sugar or corn syrup sugars, vegetable sugars are healthier and add heartiness to any dish. Furthermore, the small percentage of fat in beets consist solely of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fats are essential to our bodily functions, but our body cannot produce them. These fatty acids aid in metabolism, prevent blood clotting, and lower risks of heart disease and cancer. Similarly, antioxidants in the pigments of beets are proven to help prevent heart attack and stroke, lower cholesterol, and have anti-aging effects. Even the beet greens are edible, and a great source of antioxidants and vitamin A (which is vital for good vision).

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (New York: Broadway Books, 1997).