Roasted Beets In A Balsamic Glaze

How to Make Roasted Beets in a Balsamic Glaze

• SERVINGS: 3
• PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
• COOK TIME: 120 MINUTES
• SKILL LEVEL:

  EASY
• MEAL: LUNCH-DINNER
• STYLE: WESTERN
• PREPARATION: BOILED, BAKED
• EAT IN: SPRING
• FOR OCCASION: CLEANSE

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Earthy, sweet blood red beets brighten the cloudy days of early spring with their vibrancy. Smooth texture with light oil, the rich sour flavor of balsamic glaze awakens your senses just as the nearing sun awakens nature in early springtime.

An uncanny craving for beets usually strikes our fancy in February. Aptly described as "the most intense of vegetables" by Tom Robbins in Jitterbug Perfume, beets are full of earthy mystery. When roasted and drizzled with sharply rich balsamic vinegar beets become a sweet, juicy wonder.

Liver Cleansing in the Spring

Beets with balsamic vinegar is a perfect addition to an early spring diet. They offer a healthy remedy to a congested liver that creates heavy blood. Both are cholagogues, releasing bile from the liver into the digestive tract. Release of bile siphons fats from the blood, reducing triglyceride levels. Bile is also a major pathway of cholesterol metabolism. The beta-carotene in beets is an excellent liver tonic. The mild laxative qualities of beets and vinegar help clean the digestive tract as well. Cooking beets transforms the starches into sweet sugars that are cool down the blood. They nourish the liver, clean the blood and improve the eyesight. Beets are good for anemia.

Liver Bitterness

February comes at the bitter end of winter, the time of ashes. The natural environment offers slim pickings this time of year and the pantry is nearly bare. Early spring is the hardest month for animals in the wild. Anxiously awaiting the hope and promise of spring, lovers will make a last ditch effort on Valentine's Day to resurrect the dying embers of affection.

You may experience waves of bitterness, discouragement and a sense of failure in February. Try not to take these 'liver' emotions too seriously. Instead, these emotions offer an important cue.

Rich Blood

As soon as temperatures start to rise in early February, the body begins to metabolize some of the winter fats. The blood becomes rich and congested with these fats. It becomes thick and hard to circulate. Fatty blood makes February heart attack month. The fatty blood congests the liver as well. Much like a stuffed goose, your stuffed liver start to look as fatty as foie gras. You may have even noticed a week or two of dark, loose stools.

These important cues are signs your body is ready for cleansing. Ayurvedically, it is a critical time to cleanse the liver and jumpstart the body's fat metabolism.

AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.