Just Beet It

While I'm not the biggest beet fan, I love them in this substantial salad. I made this up a couple years ago, and it's always a big hit. It's one of those heartier salads that can easily be a beautiful, vegan/vegetarian meal. There's lots of great stuff going on here: red quinoa, diced red onion, shaved fennel, mint, toasted pumpkin seeds, and pomegranate seeds. All an accompaniment to the full flavored, beautiful slices of red and yellow beets. I admit I buy the beets sliced from this magical produce store I keep mentioning. Supposedly beets are a giant pain in the ass to peel and slice, so throwing money at that problem is a big time saver.

Making a salad should be easy, fast, and enjoyable. I've proudly become quite adept at making vinaigrettes. I hated all dressings until very recently, always preferring to eat my salads plain. I really like that taste of vegetables so I never felt lacking. Perhaps it's indicative of tastebud evolution, that I now appreciate certain dressings. They must remain light, both in color and texture. If I see anything creamy, I bolt. A salad should never be drowning. The point of a dressing is to enhance the natural flavors of the ingredients, not mask or alter them. That would be a darn shame. Sadly, we are not a big salad eating family, so I get to play when I entertain. It makes me happy that my friends look forward to this bejeweled salad. The sparkly pomegranate seeds lend such a sweet tartness. The jewel toned beets are perfect for Fall, rich in color and flavor after being roasted. The fennel and chopped mint add refreshing depth. And the quinoa and pumpkin seeds bring heartiness and crunch. All the various flavors and textures work as a symphony.

When making a vinaigrette, I like to use a juice of a featured ingredient to act as a compliment. For instance, I use heart healthy pomegranate juice here to highlight the pomegranate seeds. I use a vinegar that will complement as well, so here I use a slightly sweeter champagne vinegar. It's fun experimenting with the right juices and vinegars. I feel so accomplished when I quickly nail that down. And I loooooove using my whisk! I feel like I'm on Iron Chef, briskly whisking.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. I like the roast setting to caramelize the beets. Upper oven rack.

Lightly brush a pan with olive oil. Arrange beets in a single layer. I make one pan of yellow and one red. I'd say a dozen slices of each color. Lightly brush the slices with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until beets are easily pierced. Soft but not mushy. Let cool off and come to room temp.

In a large bowl mix four cups of mesclun greens. I like how the red in the mesclun works with the red beets and Pom seeds. A cup each of Pom seeds, pumpkin seeds, diced red onion.  Two cups shaved or thinly sliced fennel (I'm no martyr; I buy the fennel shaved too, but cutting fennel is easy and kinda fun). Feel free to add more of whatever you feel may need it.

A cup of red quinoa, cooled after being prepared according to package directions. A packed cup of finely chopped mint. Toss to combine well. Then toss with most of the dressing, reserving some to drizzle. Place in a fairly flat large serving bowl or platter. Layer alternating rows of beets, overlapping them.

Dressing:

• Half cup each olive oil and pomegranate juice.
• Three quarters tsp kosher salt, half tsp pepper
• Two TBSP champagne vinegar.

Whisk vigorously. If preparing this a day in advance, just bring the beetsand dressing to room temp before assembling.

This will look like pretty stripes! Sprinkle Pom and pumpkin seeds on top, then drizzle with the extra dressing. Voila! For added affect, play "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. Half kidding. And the beat/beet goes on... Love, the 🐝