Beets are easy to cook yet have amazing health benefits. They are blood building and cleansing. According to Chinese medicine, they strengthen the heart, calm the spirit, improve circulation and promote menstruation. And with them being so easy to prepare, it is simple to include beets in your diet. I like to roast them in the oven and then drizzle with good oilve oil and a pinch of sea salt. Or try this recipe, it is delicious!
BEET, CITRUS, AND AVOCADO SALAD:
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon walnut oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
For the salad:
1 bunch beets (about 1 pound), scrubbed and roasted
1 pink grapefruit
1 medium-size or large ripe but firm Hass avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil
1. Mix together the lemon or lime juice, the ground cumin seeds, salt, pepper and Dijon mustard. Whisk in the walnut oil and canola oil.
2. Peel the roasted beets, and slice or cut in wedges. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the dressing.
3. Cut away both ends of the grapefruit so that it sits flat on your work surface. Cut the skin and pith completely away from the fruit, following the natural curve of the fruit from top to bottom. Hold the grapefruit in your hand over a bowl to catch the juice, and cut away each segment from between the membranes.
4. Arrange the beets in the center of a platter, and surround with the grapefruit and avocado slices. Drizzle on the remaining dressing, and drizzle any grapefruit juice in the bowl over the grapefruit and avocado. Sprinkle on the basil, and serve.
From Recipes for Health in the New York Times, by Martha Rose Shulman
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