I’m glad the vegetable pot pie provoked mouth-watering responses from the Pittsburgh crowd. Today, I’ve got another recipe for you. Though not what I would consider comfort food per se, this roasted beet salad has gorgeous coloring and a sweet citrus and earthy flavor. When I was in NY, I attended a board meeting for the geography journal I work for at a swanky mid-town Italian restaurant. The only easily-veganized item on the menu was a roasted beet salad. Normally, I would ask a restaurant to veganize an entree or make a vegan entree for me, but I was trying to fly under the radar and chose to order the easy menu item. I’ve never been a huge fan of beets, but I’m really trying to like them. And you know what? They’re growing on me. I did the same thing with olives and capers–kept eating them until I liked them. And now I love them. The same thing is happening with beets. The salad at the restaurant was lovely–a combination of red and golden beets with slices of mandarin orange, a sweet light vinaigrette and some micro-greens on top. If you happen to be fancy and have some micro=greens (or even sprouts) lying around, I’d recommend adding some to the top of this salad for a nice fresh crunch.
The Recipe:
Serves 2-3
1 medium golden beet
1 medium red beet
olive oil drizzle for roasting
1 mandarin orange or clementine, peeled and segmented
1 Tbls orange juice
1/2 Tbls apple cider vinegar (or other light vinegar)
1 Tbls flax oil or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
micro-greens to top (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle the whole beets (washed and tops removed) with olive oil and wrap each color of beet in a piece of aluminum foil (keep the beets whole). Roast in oven for 1-1.5 hours, or until the beets are soft when pierced with a fork. While the beets are cooking, you can peel the orange and divide it in segments. I went one step further and peeled the membrane off of each segment, but it’s up to you whether or not you do this step. Let the beets cool and peel them with a knife or your fingers. Rinse the beets and cut into large cubes. Add the beet cubes to a medium sized mixing bowl. Drizzle the flax/olive oil, vinegar and orange juice over the top. Toss to combine. Add the mandarin slices and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with micro-greens or sprouts, if you have them and enjoy!
Do you all have any favorite salads that incorporate roasted beets?
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