EatLocal365 » beets

How to Make a Use-Your-CSA Salad

Erik — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 23:26:19 +0000

This salad normally wouldn’t be worth a post, but I’m posting it for two reasons. The first is that it’s a part of my “Husband Alone with the CSA” series and needs to be included to show how I used everything up (including the lettuces). The second reason is because of a fundamentally more important lesson: always pre-roast your beets!

I can’t emphasize that enough. When you’re making something quick that could benefit from roasted beets (and what doesn’t?), encountering raw beets in your fridge is a major drag. 95% of the time our use of beets calls for them to be foil-roasted anyway, so my M.O. is just to roast them as soon as possible, when you’re not hungry but you’ll be near the oven (at least in the living room) for 90 minutes. They’ll store for a few weeks and you can toss them into whatever you want.

I made this salad for lunch three times over the course of the week to use up the leftover tomatoes, sweet red peppers, and lettuces. It was delicious and quick and easy, but without the beets it would have been boring.

Big CSA Salad

Makes 1 big serving, 2 normal servings, or 4 sides

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Notes
Some	Lettuces	Torn into bite-sized pieces	Whatever you have, as much as you want (you can even through in some raw kale if you’re so inclined)
1	Ripe tomato	Chopped
1	Sweet pepper	Chopped	Red, yellow, orange, whatever… green in a pinch
1	Roasted beet	Sliced into 0.5 inch quarter-rounds	See below
1/3 part	Olive oil
1/3 part	Balsamic vinegar		Spring for the real stuff, not the chemical kind
1/3 part	Apple cider vinegar		We made our own, natch !
1 TBsp	Dijon mustard	I make it a very heaping TBsp
Some	Black pepper	Freshly ground
A pinch	Kosher salt

Directions

Roast your beets. DO THIS IN ADVANCE! Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. On each beet, chop off the base of the greens stalk, and chop off the tendril at the tip (if there is one). Scrub off any dirt. Wrap each beet individually in foil. Cover a sheet pan with foil. Place the foiled beets on the pan and bake.
If there are any small beets (~ golf balls) remove them after 60 minutes. For anything up to the size of a softball, bake for 90 minutes. For anything bigger, you’re on you own. Take it to a state fair.

Let the beets cool until you can handle the foil, then unwrap them. Let them cool completely and, with a paper towel in each hand, palm the opposing sides and twist the skin off. If they are cooked enough, the skin should come off easily (although maybe not all in one perfect shot). Store the peeled beets whole in a tupperware in the fridge until you are ready to use the.

Oh, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching anything, and wash your hands between each beet if you want to make your hand-washing a little easier.

Prep (tear / chop) the rest of the vegetables, and slice the beets for the salad.

Mix the dressing, using about the same amount of each of the three liquids until you get to your desired amount of dressing. Add the dijon and mix / whisk / shake. I don’t measure. I use an old spice shaker, which nets me about enough dressing for two salads of the size pictured. Salt and pepper the salad, add the dressing, and toss. The beets juice and the dressing will mix into a nice sweet purple dressing with a kick, but one that stains badly, so eat carefully!

Pre-Thanksgiving Light Lunch: Peach and Roasted Beet Salad

Lindsay — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:10:09 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today is my favorite holiday all year – not surprising that I look forward to a holiday focused on food, huh? I LOVE the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but before you dive head first into a plate of brown-ish, carb-y, gravy-soaked dinner, consider a colorful “pre-game” salad. This one comes together in a jiffy after the beets are roasted (which you could do a day or so ahead of time) and is jam-packed with peppery, mildly spicy, and sweet ingredients.

This is based on a recipe from Not Eating Out in New York, but modified to use ingredients that we had on hand or found at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market on Saturday.

Peach and Roasted Beet Salad
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Red Fire Farm CSA, ** Somerville Winter Farmers Market)
2 cups	Beets	Roasted (see below) and cut into quarters or eighths	Northshire Farm
1/2	Dried chile	Crumbled (or substitute 1/4 tsp chile powder)	Home-dried
1/4 tsp	Dried basil
1/8 tsp	Salt
Few grinds	Black pepper
1 TBsp	Olive oil
2 TBsp	Lemon juice
1 1/2 cups	Canned peaches	Sliced or cut into bite-sized pieces	Home-canned
2 large handfuls	Arugula		NorthStar Farm **

Directions

Wash and dry the beets. Wrap each in foil and put in a single layer in a baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on size. The beets are done when they’re easily pierced with a thin knife. Once they’re cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with a paper towel. Your hands will get red, but if you wash them right away, they shouldn’t stain. Slice each beet into 4 or 8 wedges, depending on size. Set aside or refrigerate for a few days, if you do this ahead of time.
Whisk the lemon juice, chile, dried basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. While whisking, add the olive oil in a slow, thin stream. Doing it this way will help it combine with the lemon juice, rather than forming little pools on top.
Add the arugula to the bowl and toss to coat all the leaves in dressing.
To serve, put a pile of arugula on each plate and arrange the beet and peach slices on top.

How to Make Creamy Kale Salad with Apple and Beets

Erik — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:24:07 +0000

The “creaminess” in this recipe comes from the avocado, mustard, and walnuts. It offsets the firm bitterness of the raw kale. The apple gives it some sweetness. All in all it’s very well balanced, very nutritious, and a cinch to make.

Creamy Kale Salad with Apple and Beets

Makes 2-4 servings

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Union Sq. Greenmarket)
1 bunch	Kale	Stems removed, chopped into large pieces	Norwich Meadows Farm *
1	Small beet	Peeled and sliced into thin half-rounds	Paffenroth Gardens *
1	Sweet, crisp apple	Core removed, sliced into thin wedges	Breezy Hill Orchard *
1	Ripe avocado	Cut in half, seed removed and skinned
0.5 cup	Chopped walnuts	Toasted
2 tsp	Dijon mustard
2 TBsp	White wine vinegar
3 TBsp	Walnut oil	Or extra virgin olive oil
To taste	Kosher salt
To taste	Black pepper	Freshly ground

Directions

Using a food processor, combine the avocado, vinegar, dijon mustard, and oil. Pulse until it is smooth, although it will remain thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the kale, beet slices, apple wedges, and walnut pieces in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the avocado dressing as well as additional salt and pepper, if desired. Toss and let sit for a few minutes to marinate. Plate and serve.