Twofer Tuesday: Gold Beets and Fennel

March is off to a good start! Two veggies in one day. I foresee myself not having much time to cook this week. Now my fridge is full of leftovers to get me through it. The gold beets were a beautiful bright orange color with the skin on, and underneath a rich golden yellow. I couldn't taste a difference in the flavor compared to red beets. I enjoyed the fennel more than I was expecting to, since I'm not a huge fan of anise-flavored foods. I sliced it horizontally, drizzled olive oil in the dish, sprinkled it with salt, pepper and parmesan and then roasted it in the oven. The raw fennel smelled pretty strongly of licorice, but the scent and flavor was mellowed out after cooking. The licorice flavor was very slight (maybe because I roasted it and roasting tends to mellow most veggies out?)

My delicious (and healthy) dinner was followed up by a mango for dessert. nom nom nom.

I remembered to take 'before' pictures this time!
Gold beets & Fennel

After using the peeler, I read that the outer skin comes right off the beets with ease after roasting. Next time I will save myself from the hassle of using the peeler.


The plated meal: chicken with a balsamic marinade, roasted gold beets with a sherry-balsamic-walnut vinaigrette, and roasted fennel with parmesan.

Nutritional Facts:

Beets are loaded with potassium. A high potassium-to-sodium ratio is ideal for our health, as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Having a two-to-one ratio of K+ to Na+ may be more important than exactly how much sodium is in your diet. It is recommended to consume daily no more than 2300 mg of sodium and 4700 mg or more of potassium. Two average sized beets have 528 mg of potassium. They also have some magnesium and vitamin C.

Fennel is native to the Mediterranean region; fennel is the Greek word for marathon. That legend about the guy who ran all the way from Marathon to Athens bringing news of the Persians' defeat was running from a town named after this plant that grows there. Anethole is the compound in fennel that gives it the licorice scent and flavor. In animal studies anethole has reduced inflammation and provided anti-cancer benefits. It is also a good source of vitamin C, fiber, potassium and folate.

Nutritional Information from:
Bowden, Jonny, and Jonny Bowden. The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: the Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What You Should Eat and Why. Gloucester, MA: Fair Winds, 2007. Print.