Mixed Green Salad with Beets and Pecans - "Out, Out Damn Spot"

Mixed Green Salad with Beets and Pecans

I found this recipe deep in the recesses of my unpublished posts. Do you love or loathe beets? What have beets done to done deserve their widespread hatred? Perhaps it's because they tint your hands, counter tops and cutting board red and they stain your clothes. "Out, out damn spot"; laments Lady Bellini Valli. Wear gloves and an apron or better yet roast your beets. When you boil them they loose their beautiful ruby tones and become palid and sickly looking.



You also get a two for one deal when buying beets from the farmers market by getting the beet greens as well!!!!!!

The solution, as already mentioned, is to simply roast the beets whole. Roasting is a dry heat cooking method. Beets are delicious and quite nutritious. When roasted and drizzled with olive oil there is almost nothing that outshines their beauty.

I make this recipe often which made me want to share it with you. This time of year we find different varieties of beets in a multitude of shapes, sizes and colours. Red and purple roots are the most popular, but you can also opt for white and gold varieties, which won't "bleed" when you cut into them. The play of colours is really beautiful!!!!

The sweet taste of beets reflects their high sugar content making them an important raw material for the production of refined sugar; they have the highest sugar content of all vegetables, yet are very low in calories.

The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color(betacyanin) is a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets' potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies. Not only are they are a beautiful ruby colour and a pleasure to your visual senses but they are good for you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roasting is the easiest way to cook your beets. Not only do the skins slip right off but you also maintain very important vitamins by roasting . Cooking them this way is easy and I'm sure you have all been baking yours for years.

Beets are one of my all time favourite root vegetables.... look at that deep, ruby colour of these little gems...what's not to love.

**Mixed Green Salad with Beets and Pecans

4 beets, such as red, golden, Chioga or a combination
1/3 cup broken pecans
1/2 to 3/4 pound salad greens, preferably a mix of baby greens and arugula
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon and parsley

Dressing:

1-1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar (I used apple balsamic vinegar because once again it is what I have:D)
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed, optional
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or to taste
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

For salad, cut away beet leaves by slicing across top end of beet, about 1/2 inch above where stems and root meet (save leaves for another purpose). Scrub beets under warm water with vegetable brush. Place them in baking dish. Add about 1/4-inch water. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of beets. (Medium beets take about 45 minutes, small ones 30, and really large ones take 1 hour). Test for doneness by sticking a knife into a beet. It should slide in easily. Remove beets from heat and allow to cool. When cool, slip skins off by rubbing with fingers. Cut beets in half lengthwise, then slice or cut them into small wedges.

Toast pecans in dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan or stirring nuts, until they begin to smell toasty and are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer them immediately to a plate or bowl.

Toss beets with salad greens, pecans, goat cheese and fresh herbs.

For dressing: Mix together vinegars, salt and pepper to taste, garlic and mustard. Whisk in oils. Taste. If you want dressing to be a bit more tart, add another 1 teaspoon vinegar. Toss with salad and serve.

Serves 4 - 6

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