Ingredients
2 cups homemade pickled beets
2 medium potatoes (quartered)
1 small fennel bulb (cut into 1-inch slices)
4 medium carrots (halved)
4 medium parsnips (halved)
large red onion (halved),
2 sprigs each of thyme and rosemary
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, thyme and rosemary. Toss the potatoes, fennel, carrots, parsnips and onion in the lemon and spice mixture.
Spread the potatoes, fennel, carrots, parsnips and onion across a baking tray lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper and put the tray in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the tray from the oven. Add the roasted vegetables and pickled beets to a bowl, toss well and season to taste. Garnish with some fresh herbs.
Nutrition Facts
Beets contain unique plant nutrients called betalains. Betalains are powerful antioxidants, reduce overall inflammation and may reduce risk of heart disease.
Cell studies have shown that betalains prevent breast, prostate, lung, stomach and colon cancer cells from growing. These studies suggest that betalains work by preventing the enzymes in the body that cause stress and inflammation from working.
Note: Commercial canned or jarred beets are pasteurized (treated at extremely high heat) and this process destroys most of the betalains. Canned beets are also high in sodium. If you used canned beets, rinse the salt off to reduce sodium by up to 40 per cent.
Source: Adapted from ELLICSR Kitchen materials.