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Monday, February 16, 2015

Great Salads for Autumn


I love that the produce that is available at different times of the year adds such a different flavor to foods. Here are a couple of salads that utilize the harvest to create salads with the best flavors of autumn. (Yes, I am really behind in my blogging! Lots of catching up to do!)


Harvest Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

3 medium fresh beets (about 1 pound)
1 package (5 ounces) spring mix salad greens
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
1 mediumc arrot, shredded
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup yellow grape tomatoes or pear tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (we used almonds because my son is allergic to walnuts)
4 thick-sliced bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Cherry Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup tart cherry preserves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub beets and trim tops to 1 inch. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake 50-60 minutes or until tender. Remove foil; cool completely. Peel beets and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine salad greens, apples, carrot, tomatoes, beans, nuts, bacon, and cooled beeted. In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients until blended. Serve with salad.

Yield: 10 servings (1 cup each).


Nutrition information: 1 cup salad with about 1 tablespoon vinaigrette equals 181 calories, 10 g fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 221 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home, you can find it here.

Notes: Yummy stuff! I love beets!


Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

4 medium beets; scrubbed, trimmed, and cut in half
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (again, we used almonds instead)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 (10 ounce) package mixed baby salad greens
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

Place beets into a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and cook, then cut in to cubes.

While the beets are cooking, place the nuts in a sillet over medium-low heat. Heat until awrm and starting to toast, then stir in the maple syrup. Cook and stir until evenly coated, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to make the dressing.

Place a large helping of baby greens onto each of four salad plates, divide candied nuts equally and sprinkle over the greens. Place equal amounts of beets over the greens, and top with dabs of goat cheese. Drizzle each plate with some of the dressing.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Donna. You can find it here.

Notes: Good stuff. I have nothing to add. Great combination of flavors for a salad.

1 comment:

  1. These were so good. One of the wonders of the culinary world to me is that roasted vegetables have only caught on in the last few years. Was this something that really well fed people knew about and never shared with the masses? Is it something that someone stumbled upon...."Oh, maybe we could do something besides boil vegetables to death." I mean, roasted beets are a revelation. So, so good and they perk up any salad.

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