Hello my lovelies!
It’s feeling like fall, and my fridge is full of beets!While salads aren’t necessarily the first thing I think of to eat re:fall, I recently made a huuuuuge vat of borscht, and needed something pretty to make with the rest of my gorgeous beets, as I didn’t want them to go forgotten in the back of my produce drawer. And actually, I’m trying to eat a bit more intuitively these days, and this salad has turned out to be a little more satisfying than most for me- the sweetness of the beets is complimented by tart mandarins and crisp pears. I love the additional fat of the walnuts, and the almond feta by Maple Spice that I’ve linked below in the ingredients is one I’ve used for years and love on salads! I
I admit that I’m left a bit seasonally confused by this salad though. Beets and apples of my bestie’s tree, for sure are giving me v autumn vibes. CHRISTMAS ORANGES are my alternate name for mandarins, and the greens I used are LITERALLY CALLED SPRING GREENS AND HERBS. So, what I’m thinking is that I’ll pretty much make this salad whenever beets are available- fall, winter, and spring (though I may need to settle for pickled beets by then- which you’re able to use as well as a sub for roasted)! I like to roast my beets the night before in advance so they have plenty of time to cool before I salad things up.
Ingredients
Salad:
- 4 medium sized red beets, chopped in 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated
- 2 medium apples or pears, sliced
- 5 oz mixed spring greens/arugula/spinach
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- Optional: 1 cup this fabulous almond feta, crumbled
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (use your judgement based on how tart your orange juice is!)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Herbs (1/2 tsp of dried tarragon, basil, or dill would be great in this dressing! My mustard was infused with tarragon)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and oil a foil lined baking sheet
- Toss your chopped beets in the 2 tbsp of oil, with salt and pepper to taste.
- Roast beets for 30-35 minutes, or until tender when pierced w/a fork. You will want to flip these halfway through. Allow to cool before serving.
- Meanwhile, in blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.
- Once beets are cool, you’re able to toss all ingredients but feta, if using, in a large bowl, with dressing. If making all at once, start with half the dressing and increase as needed. This dressing stores for about a week in a tightly sealed mason jar refrigerated!
- Top with almond feta (it gets a little soft if left in the salad too long)
I feel this would serve 3-4 folks as a main course (throw in some grilled tofu or a protein if you’re doing this up), or more as a side salad! I plan on serving this next week as a welcome, colourful, addition to all the beige food I otherwise plan to eat. FUCK YA CARBS!
sarah louise AF 