Roasted Carrots and Beets

I LOVE roasted vegetables this time of year.   One vegetable that I didn't realize I loved as much as I do?  BEETS!  So delicious and healthy, I've been enjoying them on top of salads, as a side dish and for snacking.  This simple recipe is yummy and easy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cubed peeled red beets

• 2 cups cubed peeled carrots

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, mashed

• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

• Sea salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees  
2. Place the beets and carrots in a 9 inch by 13 inch glass baking dish. (Mixing the roots separately keeps the carrots from turning pink from beet juice like I did.)
3. Place oil in bowl and stir in the dried rosemary.
4. Pour mixture over the beets and the carrots. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss each of the root vegetables to coat them with the butter mixture.
5. Dump the beets into the baking dish with the carrots.
6. Roast for 55 minutes, stirring halfway through.
7. Serve.

A little more information about just how amazing beets are for you:

VITAMINS! Beets serve as a good source of folate, a B vitamin. Each serving of this vegetable contains 17 percent of the daily recommended intake of this vitamin based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which makes beets a good choice if you’re a woman planning to conceive -- folate helps prevent spinal birth defects. In addition, you take in 5 percent of the vitamin C you need each day and smaller amounts of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 and pantothenic acid.

MINERALS! Eat beets to boost your manganese intake. Each portion provides 14 percent of the amount of this mineral you require daily. Manganese keeps your brain and nerves functioning correctly and contributes to your body’s ability to make certain hormones and connective tissue. You consume 7 percent of the potassium you need every day, as well as 5 percent of the suggested intake for magnesium. Beets also contain calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium.