I’ve never been a big fan of beets, but I have set my mind to deciding to like them. About 7 or 8 years ago, I made a conscious decision to start liking olives and capers. I had always avoided them like the plague, but one day I went to the olive bar at Whole Foods in Pittsburgh and stood there and tasted every single olive until I found one that I didn’t hate as much as the others. I bought a container of those and ate them. That was the beginning of what is now a strong love for olives and, by proxy, capers. I’ve been determined to do the same thing with beets. Luckily, my friend Karen made it pretty easy to adore beets in this salad she brought over on New Years Eve. It was absolutely delicious. I’ve been under the weather all weekend–I had a migraine, I didn’t have much energy and I was fighting off a sore throat. I spent all of Friday and Saturday sitting on the couch reading and sleeping and watching TV, except for a few jaunts into the kitchen to cook when I was feeling up to it. I made a version of the salad Karen brought, I made chia pudding raw key lime pies, and a mushroom and leek tart (stay tuned for both of these recipes).
Karen’s salad was kale, golden beets, pecans, and currants. I took a slightly different spin after I was inspired by what was at the vegetable stand on Friday. This recipe has both golden and red beets, raw fennel, pecans, and pomegranate seeds. The colors were amazing.
The Recipe
Serves 4
For the salad:
1 head of kale
1 medium to large golden beet
1 medium to large red beet
1 cup of raw fennel, sliced thin
1/2-1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
For the dressing:
1 Tbls balsamic vinegar
2 Tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp stoneground mustard
1/2 Tbls maple syrup
1/2 tsp dried dill
black pepper to taste
First, roast your beets. I bought 3 of each color because I wanted leftovers for making other things. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Wash the beets and slice the tops and bottoms off. Place them on aluminum foil and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the tops of them:
Wrap them up in the aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet (to save your oven from any drips).
Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or 1 hour–until the beets can be easily pierced with a fork. When they are cool enough to touch, peel the beets with your fingers or with a knife, keeping in mind that they will stain a wooden cutting board (I like to do this on a plate). When they are peeled, slice them into little logs:
If you’ve made extra beets, you can store them in the fridge for use another time.
Wash the kale and tear it into bite sized pieces. Add it to the salad bowl you’re using. Slice the fennel bulb very thinly and add to the salad. Open the pomegranate and add the seeds to the salad. Add the chopped pecans. Add the beets. Now, make the salad dressing. I like to use a small mason jar with a tightly fitting lid, so I can shake it. Add the ingredients to the jar and shake well to blend the oil and vinegar together with the other ingredients. Pour over the salad. Toss. Enjoy! Because it’s made with kale, this salad keeps in the fridge pretty well. I’m taking leftovers to school today for my lunch, in fact.
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