Oregano Roasted Beets with Garlic Scapes

I’ve dyed my hands and stained my cutting board (and probably my shirt too), but nature’s sweetest veggie is undoubtedly worth all the scrubbing repercussions.  Beets have entered their time to shine, and I’ve sent the first batch straight to the oven.  Roasting is my method of choice when it comes to the fuchsia-filled veggie.  The roasting process helps draw out the sweetness of the beets, while lessening the intenseness off their earthiness.

Since beets are so sweet all on their own, they need little sprucing up.  (Fun fact:  Beet sugar makes up about 40% of the world’s sugar.) Here, I simply doctored them up with some garlic scapes and a few sprigs of fresh oregano.  Just like beets, roasted garlic is always a sweet treat, and herbs always freshen things up.  As I’ve said before, if you can’t find garlic scapes at your local farmer’s market, swap them out for regular garlic.  Three to six cloves will do the trick in this recipe, depending upon how much you adore garlic.  I’d go for the six, but if you’re looking for just a hint of garlicky flavor, stick with a few less.

And just so you know, beets aren’t only made up of sugar.  They’re also filled with fiber, vitamin C, magnesium (a mineral that regulates blood sugar, promotes strong bones and a healthy immune system), folate (a B-vitamin needed to make DNA & RNA, the building blocks of our cells), potassium and a handful of other vitamins and minerals.  Plus, that naturally bright color has to be an indication of some kind of health booster, right?