The Beet Goes In

I have always been a fan of beets but seldom prepared them--too messy. Then I tried roasting them at a high temperature. It’s a quick and clean way to fix beets, and it brings out the sweetness of the vegetable. Lately, I’ve been roasting them with garlic to make a low-fat salad.

Don’t throw away the beet greens when you roast the roots; save them for sauteing just before serving the salad. Pickle thin-sliced red onions the night before, then drain the juices and use them for the nonfat roasted garlic dressing. A bit of chopped yellow bell pepper adds a nice touch of color to the finished dish.

One timesaver: I’ve found that it’s not necessary to peel the beets before eating if they’re young or home-grown.

ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH PICKLED ONIONS

This is delicious with farmer’s or feta cheese.

1 red onion

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 bunches (about 1 3/4 pounds each) beets, with tops

Nonstick olive oil spray

1 head garlic

Kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1/4 yellow bell pepper, minced

Peel onion and slice paper-thin. Combine rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt in nonreactive bowl. Add sliced onion, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cut tops off beets, leaving about 2 inches of stem. Spray baking pan with nonstick olive oil spray. Add beets and whole bulb garlic. Lightly spray vegetables with olive oil spray, then lightly sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Roast at 450 degrees until beets are fork-tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove garlic after about 30 minutes of roasting (it should be soft and lightly browned).

Remove beets from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Cut beets into 1/2-inch slices.

Drain onion, reserving vinaigrette. Squeeze garlic out of cloves, coarsely chop, then add to vinaigrette. Set aside.

Remove large stems from beet greens. Cut leaves crosswise into 1-inch strips. Spray large wok or skillet with nonstick cooking spray, add greens and saute just until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with little kosher salt and cracked pepper.

To serve, divide greens among serving plates. Top with beets and drained pickled onion. Drizzle roasted garlic vinaigrette over all. Garnish with yellow bell pepper.

* Julie Sander bowl from Freehand, Los Angeles. Background paper from Malibu Colony, Malibu.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

207 calories; 598 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 2.74 grams fiber.