Although beets didn’t make the list of 2012 food trends, I’m beginning to think that they should have. Everywhere that I go, I see these gorgeous root vegetables. Even restaurants pledging to serve seasonal, local foods are doling out salads, soups and sides of purple, golden, white and candy cane-striped beets. I’m not complaining. If there’s one vegetable that I can happily eat day in and day out, it’s a sweet beet.

Beauty as well as taste must be influencing this current craze for you just can’t beat the aesthetics of this veggie. Tumble a handful of luscious magenta beets over a mound of otherwise bland greens and you go from dull to dazzling in seconds. Toss a few yellow slices atop pasta or grilled chicken and you end up with a sunny meal to brighten the chilliest and rainiest spring days.

Sold year-round, beets are at their peak from June to October. During this time I can buy the usual purple as well as the more colorful varieties. I can also pick up crisp beet greens to use in salads and sautes. When they’re not in season, I turn to canned whole beets. While not as flavorful as fresh, they do a decent job in soups and sides.

Because I love the slightly sweet tang of beets, I keep their preparations simple—just roast and dress them with a dash of lemon juice or vinegar and allow their unique flavor to shine through. When I’m in need of a fancier dish, though, I make the following chilled beet and apple salad.

CHILLED BEET AND APPLE SALAD
Serves 4

3 cups (about 1 3/4 pounds) cooked beets, chilled and diced
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 green apples, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

In a medium serving bowl mix together the beets, onion, and apple. In a separate bowl whisk together the tarragon, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour it over the salad. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Before serving, mix together the lemon juice and sugar. Drizzle over the salad and serve.