Doesn't That Just Beet All?

I really like beets. Some fruits and vegetables do better than others in canned form. Peas? Blech. Always buy frozen peas because canned peas look like army green colored mush (in round form, of course), and they no longer taste like peas. And why did anyone decide to can grapes (as found in fruit cocktail)? They just taste...weird. But beets? Those are pretty darned good when they are canned. And where do I like my canned beets? In my salads.

So, I'm going to share two salads that use canned beets; one that uses a recipe and one that really needs no recipe at all.

Beet, Blue Cheese, and Toasted Walnut Salad

Ingredients:

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 can (14.5 oz) sliced beets, drained

2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add beets; toss well. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Arrange lettuce evenly on individual plates. Spoon beet mixture evenly over lettuce, using a slotted spoon. Reserve remaining orange juice mixture.

Sprinkle blue cheese and walnuts evenly over beet mixture. Drizzle reserved orange juice mixture evenly over salad.

4 Weight Watcher's points per serving. Makes 4 servings (114 calories per serving).

No Recipe Required Beet, Mushroom, and Pea Salad

Ingredients:

Canned sliced beets, drained

Frozen peas, thawed

White button mushrooms, sliced

Romaine lettuce, cut, torn, or shredded (however you prefer it in your salad)

Favorite salad dressing (I find that with this combination, a creamy dressing is fantastic--such as Ranch or Blue Cheese)

Directions:

Place lettuce on each plate. Top with desired amount of beets, peas, and mushrooms. Top with your favorite dressing.

Source: Every time I went to a salad bar, this was my absolute favorite salad combination. No source, no recipe...just my favorite salad topper combination.

Above: I like my beets whole...my husband prefers his sliced. So here is his plate!

Below, you will find a new beet salad addition added on April 6, 2012. My sister mentioned this recipe in her comment and I just barely found the recipe in my Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, so I'm including it in this post since it fits so nicely here.

Orange, Roasted Beet, and Arugula Salad

Ingredients:

1 large beet
2 navel oranges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bunches arugula, washed well and dried
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap beet lightly in aluminum foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 45-50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into wedges.

Peeling beets: Once the cooked beets are cool, rub off the skins, using paper towels to keep your hands from staining.

Meanwhile, prepare oranges: Slice off both ends of each with a paring knife. Cut away the peel and white pith, following the curve of the fruit. Holding the fruit over a bowl, cut along membranes to release whole segments. Squeeze juice from the membranes into another bowl, and add any accumulated juice from the segments.

Add oil, vinegar, and mustard to orange juice; season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add arugula, and toss to coat with dressing. Divide the arugula among four plates. Top with beet wedges, orange segments, and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe note: The beet can be roasted up to a day in advance of serving the salad. Although the red beet contrasts nicely with the orange wedges, a golden or chioggia beet can be used instead.

Source: Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, ISBN: 978-0-307-40510-4. You can find it here.