Healthy Legs Recipe: Roasted Beets, Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

Today’s recipe comes from Scott. Last night, he roasted up some winter vegetables from the local farmer’s market. He reports that this recipe is super easy and delicious (must be because I didn’t get to try any leftovers today!). And, all the vegetables he used are vein super-foods: beets, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Eating beets regularly can reduce blood pressure, increase circulation and prevent varicose veins.  Beets are rich with a compound called Betacyanin. Betacyanin naturally reduces homocysteine levels in the blood – homocysteine is an amino acid known to damage blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease.

We all know that carrots are great for your eyes, but did you know that eating carrots can help improve your vein health too?  Carrots are rich in Vitamin C, which helps produce elastin and collagen, which in turn keep veins strong and toned.

Lastly – sweet potatoes can help with almost any ailment, from preventing arthritis, to regulating blood sugar, to aiding digestion. Vein doctors support regularly eating sweet potatoes because they are so rich in fiber. A healthy digestive system means less pressure on the vascular system.

Ingredients

• 2 large size beets, peeled and cubed
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1/2 a large sweet potato or 1 small one, cubed
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Cut vegetables. Make sure to cut the sweet potatoes larger than the beets. Sweet potatoes cook faster than beets, so this will ensure that all the vegetables will be done at the same time.
3. In a large bowl, add diced vegetables, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Mix until vegetables are all evenly coated.
4. Add spiced vegetable mixture to a large roasting pan. Leave uncovered.
   
5. Place pan in the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes. Stir halfway through. Vegetables will be done when you can easily put a fork through the carrots. Don’t be surprised if everything looks a bit pink in the end – the color from the beets will spread to the other veggies.