Roasted Beets and Carrots with Grapefruit Glaze

(Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Wahls)

“Colors are the smiles of nature.”
~ Leigh Hunt

Celebrating Color

There's a reason Terry Wahls recommends that we eat three cups of brightly colored fruits and vegetables daily. Every color represents a different blend of micronutrients that our bodies need to thrive. This recipe is a nutritional powerhouse, covering the green, red/purple, and orange parts of the spectrum. An added bonus is that it's both beautiful and delicious. Even though I'm on a restricted diet, I still love food, and recipes like this have an abundance of flavor that feeds my soul as well as my body.

Nutrition

So what are we getting with all these colors?

• Beets contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and detoxifying compounds.
• Carrots contain antioxidant, anti-cancer, and cardio-protective compounds.
• Beet stems and greens provides us with an abundance of vitamins C & K, along with the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are essential to eye health.
• Finally, grapefruit juice brings more than just flavor. It ranks as one of the highest juices in antioxidant content, helps prevent kidney stones, and has anti-cancer properties as well.
• Isn't real food amazing?!

Recipe
Inspired by Mollie Katzen (one of many famous vegetarians who now eat meat.)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 large bunch of beets with greens attached
4 cups thickly sliced carrots
sea salt, to taste
1 grapefruit (squeezed into juice)
1-1/2 Tbsp. raw honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and put 2 Tbsp. coconut oil in a 9×13 pan in the oven (to melt the oil).
2. Prepare the vegetables: (1) Depending on the size of the beet greens, you may need to tear them into smaller pieces; then rinse well and set aside. (2) Rinse the beet stems under running water and slice them into 1 inch pieces. (3) Peel and chop the beets into small pieces (approximately ¾” squares). (4) Slice carrots in a thickness similar in size to the beets.
3. Remove 9×13 pan with melted oil from oven. Add beets, beet stems and carrots and toss until evenly coated with the oil. Add generous sprinkling of salt and toss again.
4. Bake for one hour, turning the beets and carrots halfway through.
5. 10 minutes before the beets and carrots are done, boil a small amount of water in a medium saucepan. Add the beet greens and simmer until they wilt. Remove from water and set aside.
6. Pour out the water you used to cook the beet greens and use the same pan to make your glaze. Add the grapefruit juice and honey to pan and stir to blend. Simmer over medium heat until juice reduces by half (about 5 minutes).
7. To serve, divide the greens between 4 plates. Top with roasted beets and carrots. Use a large spoon to drizzle the glaze over each plate.

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