Yes, beet, not beef! carpaccio! (Huh? That just means it's thin slices of cooked beet, not thin slices of beef.)

And isn't that just the prettiest salad ever? And it's sooo easy! And soooooo good!!

And -- it's also my first time to experience golden beets. Call me hooked! The flavor is still very beet-ish but somehow a bit less earthy than red beets. And the color, of course, is glorious ...

And -- it's a great way to use my brand-new benriner, the one recommended by Karen from FamilyStyle Food who seems to 'get' me whether it's cookbook recommendations or food finds or now, kitchen tools.

It was a breeze to create razor-thin slices of beet, also thin-thin-thin bits of red onion. I can't wait for more chances to experiment! The cutting area is about 2 1/2 inches wide, perfect for beets, potatoes, most vegetables. There's also a Super Benriner that's slightly wider. It includes the straight blade used for the beets, plus three interchangeable blades. And they're sharp! so there's a finger guard too.

For the record, there may be cheaper places to purchase this Benriner. Even the package I received was labeled $35, not the higher price via Amazon.

MY NEW FAVORITE WAY - HOW TO ROAST BEETS
Set oven to 375F. Trim the beet greens, leaving a half inch or so of stems. (What to do with beet greens? Save for the beet green recipes!) Leave the root end intact. (If you slice into the beet's flesh, both liquid and flavor will leak out while roasting.) Wash the beets very well, rubbing skins with your hands. (Don't scrub hard, however. If you do, the skin's barrier will weaken, allowing juice and flavor to leek out while roasting.) Lightly rub skins with olive oil. Place in a single layer in a large oven-proof pot with a cover, for example, a Dutch oven. Cover and place in oven for about 1 hour. (Next time I'll also try turning every 20 minutes.) Check the beets for doneness - when a knife inserts easily into the center, they're done. (TIP: Timing varies so widely that I've learned never to 'count' on them for supper at a certain time.) Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Remove the skins simply by rubbing them with your hands. Refrigerate til ready to use. You can also refrigerate with the skins still on but the skins will be slightly more difficult to remove.

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APRIL FAVORITES
Thanks to the new Alphabet of Vegetables, I can now follow your favorite vegetables. In April, you searched for asparagus recipes, beet recipes, eggplant recipes, broccoli recipes and winter squash recipes. (Eggplant? It's been awhile! I'll do better!)

My own favorites in April were:

• Favorite side dish: zucchini & carrot ribbons
• Favorite vegetable salad: today's gorgeous beet carpaccio!
  
• Favorite soup: cream of dandelion soup
  

If you're new to A Veggie Venture and are a bit overwhelmed by all the recipes, start with the 'picks of the month', only the favorites for each month.

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FREE COOKBOOK! Today's the last day to win a free cookbook by answering three simple questions. The ballot closes at midnight my time (U.S. central time). Thanks for playing along!

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FROM THE ARCHIVES The Recipe Box may have more beet recipes than known to mankind. If you ever wonder what to do with cooked beets -- or are looking for reasons to roast a few extra -- this is your complete source for beet recipes.

TWO YEARS AGO Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan "A keeper, magnificent in its simplicity especially on nights when the oven is already hot." And it was Day 30, what was intended to be the last of a month-long project of cooking vegetables in new ways every day. Here we are, two years and who-know-how-many?! vegetable recipes later!

GREAT FOOD BLOGS enjoying GOLDEN BEETS
Just Braise ... Golden Beet Salad
Simply Recipes ... Golden Beet & Pomegranate Salad
Stephen Cooks ... another variation of Beet Carpaccio

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