My Chouchoux: Balsamic Roasted Beets/巴沙米可醋烤甜菜根

This is my first post in this blog! I will be taking a slightly different approach here than in my former blog (2 Sisters et 1 Cat) to bring you more of the basics. When I say basics, I mean things like how to prepare and cook basic ingredients. These are techniques that we all should be familiar with; you'll be seeing them in recipes of mine and others. You can even use them as inspiration to create your own dishes!

Depending on the season, sometimes I'll find that the beets come in different colors and tones

根據不同的季節，在市場上有時候會看到不同顏色與色調的甜菜根

Most of us today take tons of vitamins (just count how many bottles you have, and you'll realize!). I strongly believe that eating well can give you most of the vitamins and minerals we need (unless you have a disease that interrupts the absorption of nutrients). After all, getting your nutrition from fresh food is certainly better than getting it from pills!

Choosing the right vegetables to get the most nutrients for your health needs is very important. Beets can be eaten raw but are also great roasted, which makes them tender and sweet--quite different than when they're raw. They are one of those great vegetables that all of us should be bringing into our regular diet, since they're very high in anti-oxidants, mineral compounds, folic acid, and even vitamins A, B, C.

As I mentioned earlier, this basic recipe can be useful in many different ways. You can enjoy roasted beets in pasta, green salads, with fruits, with cheese, or simply alone as is. I hope you like both the taste and the nutritional benefit of this powerful vegetable as much as I do!

Balsamic Roasted Beets

2-4 beets (Depending on the size; if they're very big, feel free to cut it in half, which will cut the cooking time.)

A: 1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/4 t dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or a mixture

1/2 t sea salt

pinch of black pepper

1. Wash and trim the beets. *If they come with beet greens on the top like mine did, don't throw away the leaves! They're also very nutritious.

2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF

3. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over a piece of aluminum foil. Place the trimmed beets on top of the paper.

4. Put A on top of the beets. To keep them moist, fold the parchment and foil over them and crimp the sides to close.

5. Place the packet on a baking sheet and put in the preheated oven. Bake for 30-60 mins (depending on the size of your beets) until tender.

6. Remove the beets from the oven and let them cool for about 30 mins.

7. When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip their skin off. It should come off fairly easily if you rub the skin with your fingers. You can also use a peeler if you wish.

8. Cut them in pieces and enjoy them as they are, or pair with dishes, and don't forget the yummy roasting juice that is left on the parchment-foil packet; it is full of flavor!!

- Yvonne

這是我在chou choux的第一篇食譜! 這個部落格與之前2 Sisters et 1 Cat 稍微不同的其中之一點是我將會在這裡po更多的基本食譜。我所謂的"基本食譜"是指教大家如何準備和烹煮一些基本的食材。這些都是值得我們學習與認識、還有在我其它一些食譜有可能會反覆出現、甚至也可以讓你自己做變化的實用食譜！

大部分的現代人每天多少都有服用維生素用品的習慣，雖然我們說它是營養補充品，但嚴格說起來，它也算是一種藥物。光是算算家裡現在有的瓶瓶罐罐，你可能會被自己嚇到！我個人深信其實要是三餐吃的健康、營養均衡，從新鮮食物攝取的維生素及礦物質，通常就應需我們所求(除非有什麼病會干擾到身體攝取營養)，不需要服用太多營養補充品。必竟直接從新鮮食物攝取的營養要比從藥丸裡攝取的要來的天然、健康。