Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Okay, so its not vegan, but at least its vegetarian. I have express permission from Kerri to post this - its a good one. I wanted to use our beets from our CSA box and I think this recipe is hugely successful. I always thought beets tasted like dirt, but mixed with the goat cheese and candied walnuts, I thought they were very palatable. And I thought the ones we got in our CSA box were sweet and very tender, quite unlike my beet experiences in the past.

I strongly suggest making a special trip to Split Creek Farm and getting their goat cheese for this recipe. Their product is worth the trip. Although the recipe calls for crumbles, which Split Creek does not have, I just warmed a couple slices off the goat cheese log in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes with a little olive oil. Warming it makes the cheese very creamy. But you could also use it the salad cold. Serve it with a baguette - makes a terrific meal.

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

4 medium beets - scrubbed, trimmed and cut in half
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I've used pecans with success)
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

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 cool, then cut in to cubes.

While the beets are cooking, place the walnuts in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until warm 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 walnuts 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.

You Wouldn't Believe this was any Good . . .

if you didn't try it. Should I tell you whats in it? Your reaction might be the same as mine, when I first saw the recipe - "Who thinks this stuff up?" The chicks who wrote Veganomicon, that's who. But really, this is VERY good. I was quite surprised that I liked it. So here it goes.

Shredded Parsnip and Beet Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette

Dressing:
2 C Pineapple Juice
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C grapeseed oil
2 T agave nectar or maple syrup
1 clove garlic, grated with a microplane
1/4 t salt

Salad:
1 lb beets, peeled and shredded
1 lb parsnips, peeled and shredded
1/2 C mint, coarsely chopped

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the shredded beets and parsnips and thoroughly mix into the dressing.
Let macerate for 15 minutes. Add the mint and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

This has the texture of coleslaw. I will have you know, I am not a fan of either coleslaw or beets, but after discovering this recipe, we are now learning to be friends.

What brought me to try it? I overwintered parsnips, and they were ready to harvest a couple of weeks ago. I needed a recipe and saw this one. I'm glad I went out on a limb.

Oh - you can find Agave Nectar at Bloom in the gluten-free section or at Ingles in the baking aisle.