Beets

What’s the brightest way to jazz up healthful summer recipes? Just add beets! June to October is the best time to buy this rough-skinned root vegetable—and certainly the easiest time to find locally grown beets and heirloom varieties such as snowy white albino, amber-colored golden, or candy-striped Chioggias. Plus, there are so many ways to enjoy them. Serve roasted beets in place of potatoes. Grate raw beets into a slaw the way you would carrots. Toss steamed beet slices with vinegar or lemon juice, and use as a salad topping or sandwich filling. You can even substitute puréed beets for applesauce in low-fat baked goods, such as the moist Red Velvet Brownies.

Nutritional Profile

1/2 cup cooked, sliced beets contains:

37 calories

1 mg iron

68 mcg folate

259 mg potassium

Jewel-tone Pancakes with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Red Velvet Brownies

Firecracker Beet Slaw

Napa Cabbage Salad with Borscht Vinaigrette

Perfect Roasted Beets with Orange Slices