Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

Okay- ya just gotta try this one. We had it for lunch today and it was soooo good. Michael and I shared this plate and when we were finished he said that he could have eaten the entire plate by himself! I bought the beets at the farmer's market this week and wanted to do something yummy with them. Here's what we came up with:

Roasted Beets with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
5 or 6 beets

3 or 4 large basil leaves (fresh, of course)

1 tbsp blue cheese

balsamic vinegar reduction (just a drizzle)

1 tbsp walnuts, toasted

kosher salt to taste

Trim the green leaves off of the beets and wash them well. Put them on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil and just a dash of balsamic vinegar. Fold the foil so that it makes a "packet" and is sealed very well so that the steam won't escape. Place the foil packet on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, open packet, and let cool slightly so you can handle them. Peel the skin off of each beet (it's easy to do with your hands). Slice the beets and place on a plate, platter, whatever. Sprinkle with kosher salt and drizzle with the balsamic reduction (you can buy this, but it's easy enough to make...I just simmered about 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp. sugar until it was reduced by half and like a syrup- don't cook too long or you'll have "caramel"). Use kitchen shears to just snip thin strips of basil all over the top of the beets, and then sprinkle the blue cheese and toasted walnuts over the top. (The walnuts are just toasted over med. heat in a dry pan for a few minutes).

This dish is not only yummy, but beautiful and good for you!

Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.
While the sweet beet root has some of the minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a remarkable source of chlorine, folic acid, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates in the form of natural digestible sugars.
Its iron content, though not high, is of the highest and finest quality that makes excellent food that is blood building. This renders it highly effective in treating many ailments caused by our toxic environment and surrounding.