Virtual Supper Club Showcases Our Fall Favourites

Frisée, Baby Spinach, and Golden Beet Salad

We are so glad you have decided to join us once again for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. This is a monthly event where 5 ladies in two neighbouring countries get together to create a delicious meal with a theme in mind. We are now in our second year and continue to share a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. The idea is simple because of our common interest in cooking and healthy cuisine. We love to share these ideas with you each and every month through our Virtual Supper Club. This is a team effort where we combine what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!! This month our theme was chosen by Jamie of Moms Cooking Club featuring a tasty menu of:

Fall Favourites

Fall is right around the corner! Very soon, leaves will begin changing colour and falling to the ground as the air turns cool and crisp.It is an inbetween season where it is not really cold and not really warm. The air has that certain woodsy fragrance with a little nip to bite your nose early in the morning and my world is seen through multihued glasses of red and russet. If you haven't already gathered it is THE season and my favourite by far!!!!! I love to bring the warm cozy blankets and sweaters out of hibernation and sit curled up on the couch in front of the fire with a book...or better yet a cookbook.

Not only is Fall a great time for jumping into piles of leaves and carving pumpkins, but it also provides a great chance to try out some delicious recipes that will help bring the spirit of the season into your kitchen and home. One of the easiest ways you can do this is by using the bounty of inspirational produce of the season from your garden or farmers markets in various recipes.

Long time member Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club started this months menu with Beef Daube Provencal.Braised beef with red wine and vegetables makes this classic French stew perfect for cold weather.
As an accompaniment I brought along a fall salad of Frisée, Baby Spinach, and Golden Beets.  This salad of greens, beets, and goat cheese would please any palate. You can use regular red beets in place of golden beets, or opt for a combination of both. This versatile, nutritious tuber combines sweet, earthy undertones with a wealth of nutrients.

To balance the menu Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch adds a delicious side of Butternut Squash Blue Cheese Gratin. This is a dish I wanted to try myself so wish I could have dug my fork in in "real time".

Patsy of Family, Friends and Food wowed us with her choice of  Roasted Cauliflower with Browned Butter.Roasting your vegetables intensifies the flavours amd the browned adds that extra depth of flavour.

Sandi of The Whistestop Cafe brought the finale of a fall-inspired Pecan Pie Ice Cream. We are still in between seasons so this is a perfect crossover dish with fall flavours. Nothing says fall like pecan pie!!

At home I served this tasty fall spinach salad with Spiced Pumpkin Biscuits which complimented the sweetness of the beets and cranberries well.

**Frisée, Baby Spinach, and Golden Beet Salad**
from Cooking Light

3/4 pound medium golden beets
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon walnut oil
4 cups frisée or radicchio
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled soft (log-style) goat cheese

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Preheat oven to 400°

Wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tender. Discard foil; cool beets for 30 minutes. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

Combine cranberry juice, cranberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 11 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in shallots, salt, and pepper. Gradually add oil, stirring with a whisk.

Combine lettuce and spinach in a large bowl. Add cranberry mixture; toss to coat. Add beets; toss gently to combine. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates. Top each salad with 4 teaspoons cheese.

Seves 6

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