Superfood Spotlight: Beets + Our Beet "Carpaccio" Recipe

For a plethora of health and skin benefits you can't beat beets. We recently shared recipes for Sweet Potato Fries (a healthier take on the summer staple) and Watermelon Salad (a seasonal favorite that'll keep you glowing from the inside out), but now we're ready to fire up the oven for "Beet Carpaccio." You read that right: beet not beef. Way healthier and more eco-friendly, but still a great source of iron, not to mention delicious and satisfying.

Ready for the benefits? We can practically go down the entire Alphabet with the goods that beets deliver, but we've narrowed it down to the following:

• B vitamin folate (think DNA synthesis and repair)
• Immune-boosting vitamin C
• Digestion aiding fiber
• Plus essential minerals like manganese (essential for bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas) and potassium (your nerves and muscles will thank you)

Combined, these powerful attributes lead to boosted energy and lowered blood pressure. As smart carb superstars, beets are also helpful for weight loss. Fun fact: beets were originally discovered and used by the ancient Romans as natural aphrodisiacs because they increase blood flow (due to their nitrates). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (bye, bye wrinkles) properties are just two more positives to add to the list. Seriously, we could go on and on, but we're getting hungry…

Here's our nutritious and guilt free alternative to the Italian classic:

The Goods:

6 Small or 3 Large Beets – whatever color combination you prefer

Fresh Thyme Sprigs

Olive Oil

Feta or Goat Cheese (optional)

Pistachios

Salt

Pepper

The Steps:

1. Heat oven to 350° F.

Wash and scrub your beets.

Place them in an oven safe baking dish/pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place thyme sprigs all around the pan and cover the whole situation with foil.

Bake the beets in the oven for about an hour, then test them with a knife – you'll know!

Let the beets cool with the foil still covering the pan as this will make slipping them out of their skins easier.

While the beets are cooling, remove a handful of pistachios from their shells and smash them under the flat side of a chef's knife with the bottom of your fist (fun!), then use the sharp side of the knife to chop some of them into even smaller bits.

Once the beets have cooled and you've removed the skins, slice them as thinly and evenly as possible and arrange them attractively to slightly overlap each other.

Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, crumbled cheese (should you opt for it), the leaves from the thyme sprigs that were in the oven and the crushed pistachios.

Munch to your heart's content!

This article originally appeared on "Sonage Skincare Blog.

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