5 June 2013

Fresh and Local with Baby Beets, Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Baby Greens for the Virtual Supper Club


Baby Beets, Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Greens
As Spring progresses into summer and we head to our local farmers markets we are more and more impressed with the bounty of fruits and vegetables spread before us.  Local harvests bring different products to market each week. There's something so relaxing about browsing through your local farmers markets, especially early in the morning when the breeze is gentle and there's an aroma of fresh brewed coffee in the air. In the Okanagan, late Spring is an amazing time for fresh asparagus, sun-washed strawberries, freshly plucked salad greens, and baby beets just to name a few!

Please visit your own local market each week and support your local producers and artisans.

For now 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 a group of ladies and one gent in two neighbouring countries get together on the first Wednesday of every month to create a delicious meal from appetizers to dessert with a theme in mind. In its fourth year this is a team effort where we continue to share a love for healthy eating and living. We look forward each month to strengthening our bonds, and enjoying each others company virtually. This month our supper club theme is 'Local and Fresh' chosen my our very own Jerry of Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants

Lets see what our group has come up with this month. 

Jerry of Jerry's Thoughts, Musings and Rants brings along our main dish with a tasty Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus 

Sandi of Whistlestop Cafe Cooking brings to the table a tantalizing appetizer of GardenTomato Basil Pesto Pizza.

Roz of La Bella Vita Cucina wows us with a simple yet tasty Tomato Basil Soup.

I decided to bring along a salad of Baby Beets with Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Greens. A quick trip to the farmers market this morning resulted in tiny baby beets of every colour and baby greens hand plucked only just this morning. 

Susan of The Spice Garden compliments our meal with a delicious side of  Spinach With Garlic Vinaigrette. 

Sarah of All Our Fingers in the Pie tops our supper off with an impressive dessert. Rhubarb Maple Fool Filo Stacks or as she likes to call it Rhubarb Maple Napoleons are sure to impress your guests.

**Baby Beets with Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Baby Greens**

6 medium beets (red and golden), about 1 1/2 pounds
1 cup water
8 cups mixed baby salad greens
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375°.

Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets and 1 cup water in a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish; cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim off roots; rub off skins. Cut beets into wedges; cool completely.

Place greens and parsley in a large bowl; toss. Combine vinegar, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Gradually drizzle in oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over greens mixture; toss gently. Arrange 1 cup salad on each of 8 plates; top evenly with beets. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons nuts.

Allison Fishman, Cooking Light
APRIL 2011

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

23 comments:

  1. A beautiful, refined and colorful salad! Perfect.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. A favorite combination in a salad around here. Our market opened Sunday. It will be a few more weeks before beets are ready but I'm ready for them now!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. AnonymousJune 05, 2013

    This looks like a winner of a salad. I love anything with roasted beets - I wonder if I can find some baby ones here yet?

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  4. The little pansy petals..add a lovely touch~

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  5. Such a lovely, fresh salad, Val. From the roasted beets to those deep red pansy petals....matching the beets! Goat cheese is perfect with this.

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  6. Such a delicate yet vivid salad. Edible flowers, if not from your own garden, are difficult to track down in these parts.

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  7. Yummy and gorgeous looking salad, Val! Our market opens a week from Saturday. I can hardly wait!

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  8. Val this is my king of salad. Gorgeous!

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  9. A work of art. Like a beautiful painting.

    ~Ann

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  10. Terrific menu and a beautiful salad. GREG

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  11. What a beautiful salad. I will be forever grateful to the person who first put roasted beets in a salad!

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  12. I love all in this salad Val!!

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  13. Oh for these fresh salads at this time of year! I'm in heaven! Yours is just such a pretty plate of salad!

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  14. I love all the fun mix-ins in this spring salad!

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  15. I need to get to the farmer's market!

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  16. what a beautiful salad... those baby beets are gorgeous!

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  17. Your salad is luscious Val and all of the other courses are wonderful. You all rock.

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  18. Everything in this salad screams my name. One of my favorites...

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  19. That salad is gorgeous, Val. :-) Absolutely love all the colors!! I'm shivery cold here on this winter morning, but when things warm up, I would happily devour this. :-)

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  20. That top shot is one of the prettiest salad photos I've ever seen! You make your farmers market sound so idyllic---ours is stifling hot and the parking lot is a zoo! But I do love it :)

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  21. This is so colorful and vibrant, I could honestly eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

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  22. what an extremely lovely salad, val! great mix of flavors, colors, and textures!

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  23. This is a gorgeous salad! I love beets, and eat them when hubby's not watching. :)

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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