Fall Flavors: Golden Beet and Feta Salad

Roasted golden beets and tangy feta come together in what I call the perfect autumn salad!

Golden Beet and Feta Salad

If you eat with your eyes first you'll enjoy the beautiful hue of this golden beet salad.  The deep gold colors of the beets will call to you like jewels sparkling in the sun!  Once roasted they become the earthy and sweet and so hard to resist.  I'm always waiting in anticipation for autumn to come around so I can grab a bag full of beets to roast.  Toss those with some tangy crumbled feta cheese, slices of juicy tomatoes, some roasted walnuts, all topped on a bed of spring green mix and you'll have the best autumn salad around!

I love this salad so much that I'm going to serve this as one of my Thanksgiving side dishes this year.  It's that good, that beautiful to look at, and that tasty!  I hope you try this soon and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• spring green mix

• golden beets

• Roma tomatoes

• feta cheese - I like to buy this in a block and crumble it as needed

• walnuts - whole, halves, or pieces

• olive oil

• red wine vinegar

• Dijon mustard

• garlic

Substitutions and Variations

• Beets:  Try red beets instead of golden beets

• Cheese:  try goat cheese 

• Greens:  Spicy arugula or any green or red leaf lettuce would be good.

• Nuts:  Try pecans, pistachios, or pepitas,  or leave them out altogether

• Dressing:  Use your favorite dressing or substitute balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar.  

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Feta Cheese - I always buy feta by the block.  That way I can slice it or crumble it for various dishes or as a snack with pita and cucumbers.

• Roasting beets - this doesn't have to be a messy job.  Place them in foil, no need to peel them first, and then roast.  The peel will come off easily after they are roasted and cooled a bit.  A paper towel will work wonders.  If using red beets, make sure to wear gloves as these stain your fingers and everything they touch.

• Roasting nuts - I roasted the walnuts for this salad to give them a deeper nutty flavor.  I used a dry skillet over medium heat and just let them toast for 1 to 2 minutes until they are golden.  Stir them often during the toasting period and watch them closely as they will burn easily.

• Making homemade salad dressing - don't be intimidated by making your own homemade salad dressing.  It is so easy that you'll most likely forgo store bought dressing altogether!  The best part is the taste of the fresh ingredients.  You only need a handful of items to make a dressing.  It's usually comprised of 3 parts fat (oil, mayo etc) to 1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice) plus a small amount of an emulsifier (mustard, honey, mayo, tomato paste etc.) then you can add in some flavor enhancers (garlic, shallot, herbs) and whisk all together and you're done. 

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Golden Beet and Feta Salad

serves 4

5 oz spring green mix
3-4 large golden beets
2 large Roma tomatoes
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup roasted walnuts

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic minced
dash of salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off any leafy tops from the beets.  Scrub them and loosely wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap up the beets with the foil and roast for 45 -50 minutes.  Check the beets every 20 minutes or so.  They are done when a fork slides easily to the center of the beet.

Remove beets from the oven and allow to cool enough to be handled.  Remove the skins by using a paper towel to rub away the skins.  They should remove easily.  Slice or cube the beets for the salad.

To assemble:  In a large bowl or platter add the spring green mix.  Quarter the Roma tomatoes and place them and the beets on top of the greens.  Crumble the feta cheese and sprinkle them on top of the salad.  Add the roasted walnuts.  Drizzle with the red wine vinaigrette.

Fall Flavors: Roasted Beet Panzanella Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

With an array of fall flavors such a golden and red beets, gorgonzola, homemade croutons, and pecans this variation on a Tuscan bread salad is dressed up for the winter holidays thanks to a cranberry-juice vinaigrette!

Roasted Beet Panzanella Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and while I make all our traditional foods that everyone loves I also add 1 or 2 new side dishes for that year's menu.  It's a great way to try out new combination of flavors amongst all the standards.  I usually try a new salad and a new vegetable dish.  Today we are focusing on the salad.

Panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad that uses day old bread typically with tomatoes, onion, and cucumber.  Great for summer, but for the fall this variation uses special fall and winter treats!  Imagine a salad with beets (both golden and red), homemade croutons, gorgonzola cheese, and pecans and is topped by the most exciting vinaigrette that is made with cranberry juice! 

This salad is soooo yummy!  Don't skip the vinaigrette either...it bring bright flavors to the earthiness of the salad ingredients and makes it pop!  This will bring great flavor and that extra special something to all your winter holidays.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• arugula and spinach mix
• fresh mint
• beets
• shallots
• French or Italian crusty bread (for croutons)
• gorgonzola cheese
• pecans
• dried cranberries
• olive oil
• cranberry juice
• red wine vinegar
• honey

Substitutions and Variations

• Use a mix of herbs such as parsley, mint or dill instead of the arugula spinach mix

• Use fresh dill along with the spinach/arugula

• Use another base such as romaine, green or red leaf lettuce

• Boil the beets instead of roasting them

• Use dried cherries

• Use goat cheese or feta, or leave it out

• Use walnuts or hazelnuts, or leave them out

• Although homemade croutons are really good and simple to make, you could use a good store bought crouton

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make the dressing first since you will use this to marinate the beets, shallots, and croutons when roasting.

• Be cautious about using unsweetened cranberry juice.  Your vinaigrette will be very tart and may need to be balanced with more honey.

• Shallots roast quicker than the beets, so add them with the croutons

• Use a large roasting pan covered with aluminum foil that is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Red beets tend to stain your pan and this makes for easy clean up.

• Wear gloves when cutting red beets to avoid stains.  They will also stain wooden boards and plastic, cover with waxed paper before cutting to avoid stains.

• DON'T SKIP the Vinaigrette!  This really brightens up the earthy flavors in this salad.

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Roasted Beet Panzanella Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

serves 6

Vinaigrette
⅓ cup cranberry juice
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad
2 medium red and 2 medium golden beets, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 shallots, cut into wedges 
4 cups 1-inch artisan bread cubes (french bread or Italian crusty bread will work well)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 cups arugula spinach mix

1/4 fresh mint, chopped 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 15x10 sheet pan with aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray and set aside.  For dressing: In a small bowl whisk together cranberry juice, vinegar, honey, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.

Place red beets and yellow beets side by side on a sheet pan, without touching to avoid bleeding.  Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of the vinaigrette tossing each section to coat. Roast 20 minutes, stirring once. Place shallot sin the middle of the pan; drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the dressing, and bread cubes on the far end of the pan.  Toss with 2 Tablespoons of the dressing.  Roast another 15 minutes until beets are tender, bread is toasted, and shallots are roasted.  If shallots are done before the beets, remove them to a bowl and continue roasting. 

Add arugula/spinach mix to a large bowl along with the chopped mint.  Top with beets, shallots, and croutons. Add dried cranberries, pecans, and Gorgonzola cheese.  Serve with remaining dressing. 

Beet Salad

 A quick salad is always a treat.

Especially during the warmer months when we have plenty of fresh vegetables and a lighter meal is in order.
I like to try various combination with my salads.  Changing up the greens or the vegetables I use.  Add some protein and possibly some fruit and you have one heck of a salad.  The combinations are endless!

Today's salad is a Beet Salad.  Beets, raspberry vinaigrette, and apples make this salad the perfect answer to a sweet craving.  

This is a fantastic salad!  I love the flavor combination of the beets.  If you don't have fresh ones take some help and buy them packaged.  Trader Joe's has delicious baby beets packaged and ready to go.  Also as a quick tip, some grocery store salad bars have sliced beets, and may carry hard boiled eggs and artichokes.  It's easy to pick up just a few so that you don't have to buy in quantity.  So easy!

Hope you enjoy a new, fresh salad!


Beet Salad

Serves 1

4 cups mixed greens
1 crumbled hard-boiled egg
3 sliced baby beets
1/2 cup apple slices
2 artichoke heart quarters
1 tablespoon sliced almonds

2 tablespoons bottled fat-free raspberry balsamic vinaigrette
fresh ground black pepper  
2 graham cracker squares

In a bowl combine all ingredients from the mixed greens to the almonds.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and fresh ground black pepper.  Toss to combine.  Serve with graham crackers.