A Winter Salad Dedicated To Trudy.

Our sister-in-law Trudy currently works and lives in Macau. We stay in touch each week by Skype and sometimes the topic turns to food, especially when we’ve just posted about something that isn’t easily available in Macau.  Trudy has decided that when we can send a sample of our cooking via Skype we will have reached the height of technology.  We agree!  Macau is formerly a Portuguese colony on the southern coast of China so you know there would be a few “good eats” that Trudy could Skype back to us as well!

This salad is a new rendition of an old favorite.  Here we’ve added oranges, raspberries and we substituted Feta instead of Goat cheese.  We think beets taste best when slow roasted and the sharp salty taste of the Feta cheese adds to the vibrant flavors in this winter salad.  When the weather turns cold we need robust salads that include sturdy greens, healthy toppings and high flavor dressings. This Roasted Beet and Orange Salad delivers on all counts.

Lets get started. The best way to get the most out of the beets is to peel and roast them slowly with a splash of olive oil and some sea salt.  Then marinate the beets overnight for the deepest taste.

TwoFoodNuts Roaste Beet and Orange Salad:

Serves 6 to 8

For the Roasted Beets

• 3 or 4 medium size beets peeled and sliced in 8ths
• a drizzle of olive oil
• 1 pinch Herb de Provence
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Wrap the beets in foil or place into a small roasting pot.  Bake in a low oven (300 F) for an hour or until the beets are tender.

For the marinade:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic or Raspberry vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Pour over the beets and place in the fridge overnight

For the Salad:

• Greens of  your choice.  (We used a mix of Arugula and Baby Spinach) Watercress would be wonderful here.
• Sliced navel orange pieces, a few fresh raspberries
• Crumbled Feta cheese
• Toasted sliced almonds
• The roasted beets

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Raspberry Balsamic plus 1 Tbsp Red Wine vinegar
• Or  3 Tbsp plain Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp  white sugar
• Salt and Pepper

Today we served the Roasted Beet and Orange Salad with Heddy’s Ham and Cheese Croissant   A roasted chicken breast and this salad would also make a great dinner!  No more boring winter salads!