Divine Beets, Goat Cheese and Spinach Salad

Beets are one of the few vegetables you can buy, stick ’em in your fridge drawer and legitimately come back to them a week or so later and say, “I forgot you were there! Huh… what can I make with you today?”

Yummy & Healthy: Goat Cheese, Roasted Beets, and Spinach salad

I came up with this dish mostly out of laziness this past summer…as I kept encountering week-old beets and mismashed veggies left over from other meals.  But this week, I toasted left over pine nuts (from garden pesto) and it is now ready for prime time sharing with you!

The prep time is easy but roasting Beets takes about an hour but your kitchen is infused with a fantastic, earthy aroma.  Like you are baking the Gods’ favorite dish.  But once the beets cook, prep time is 5 minutes and everyone is happy.  Even your toddler!

Beet & Goat Cheese Salad:

You will need:

  • 3 red beets
  • 3 gold beets
  • 5-7 oz Goat Cheese — I prefer Laura Chenel Goat Cheese
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts — Toast them in a small pan until lightly brown and set aside
  • 5-6 handfuls of fresh Spinach leaves (or Augula, whatever they have that is a dark green salad leaf)
  • Olive oil

Preheat oven to 325′. Line a small roasting sheet (or whatever you have) with tin foil.

Red beets ready for cleaning

SCRUB beets and trim off the root end and any funky looking parts.  Rub cooking olive oil all over the beets with your hands and place in a single layer on the sheet.  Slide into the oven for 55-65 minutes, or until beets are roasted through.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together:

  • 2 cloves chopped garlic or shallots
  • 2-3 tablespoons of your good olive oil.  — Not your cooking oil but your drizzling/dressing oil
  • Pinch sea salt and 2 twists fresh pepper
  • 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard (stone ground or smooth)
  • 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Let mixture stand and marinate while Beets cook.

Beets are finished when a fork side through. Once finished, remove beets from the oven and skin them using a fork and knife.  Quarter the beets and let cool a few minutes while you put the spinach in a salad bowl and whisk the salad dress mix one more time.  Taste for seasoning.

Add beets to spinach and crumble goat cheese over the beets.  The still warm beets will slightly melt the white goat cheese, making the cheese a fun pink. Toss salad with dressing and toasted pine nuts.

Serve immediately with a chilled, CRISP Rose or White wine.

 

 

 

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