Explore the sweetness of beets
with this easy, healthy green salad

One of the ways we can spruce up a meal is through colorful ingredients. Enjoying a meal is about more than just the taste of the food. The whole experience and the visual aspect is important.

One way to capture that idea is to choose foods you wouldn’t have tried otherwise. Take red beets for example. Most folks either love them or hate them and if you are one who dislikes them, try something new and maybe you’ll change your mind.

You can find both red beets and the lesser-known golden variety in any supermarket. They are known to have healing properties and are low in calories, considering how sweet they are. They might not be the best food for folks with hypoglycemia or diabetes, but they can be eaten with good fat such as high quality extra virgin olive oil. And if sugar is a concern just eat them in very small portions and not often and always with another food.

Be careful when handling beets as the color can stain. Cooking beets decreases their folic acid, but they are still one of the richest food sources of this vitamin. I recommend eating them roasted, as pickling destroys all of their folic acid.

Try this salad recipe using roasted beets. It includes arugula as the lettuce. The spiciness of the greens along with the sweetness of the beets and nuttiness of the goat cheese makes a great combination.

Green salad with roasted beets

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. shallots, thinly sliced
1 Tbs. honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
6 medium beets, peeled and quartered
6 cups fresh arugula
½ cup almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
½ cup avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the vinegar, shallots and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place the beets on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the beets are slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Toss the arugula and almonds in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mound the salad atop 4 plates. Arrange the beets around the salad. Sprinkle with the avocado and goat cheese and serve.

Jackie trained as a professional personal chef at the Culinary Business Academy of Atlanta and is active in the United States Personal Chef Association. She cooks for a host of clients in the metro area. Her specialty is entertainment cooking, You can reach her by email.

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