marydukecooks.com

If you have ever wondered what to do with the beet greens that come attached to beets; make a salad out of them! The greens are similar to the texture of baby kale. My daughter, Lindsey, made this salad when she was home for Christmas.

Beet greens are a nutrient dense food that is an excellent source of vitamin K, A, C, E, and B2, copper, manganese, magnesium, fiber and calcium. They are also a good source of vitamin B1, B6, iron, pantothenic acid, phosphorus and protein.

When choosing beets with greens at the grocery store look for greens that are not bruised. Plan to store beet greens in the refrigerator for 2 days or less and keep greens attached to the root bulbs (the beets) until ready to make the salad. Enjoy, friends!

Beet Salad with Beet Greens, Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, Orange Segments and Orange Shallot Vinaigrette

1 bunch beets with beet greens (found with the organic vegetables)
balsamic salad dressing, your favorite brand
2 ounces goat cheese crumbles
Orange Shallot Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Two hours before you plan to eat the salad, cut beet greens stems at beetroot. Place stems with greens in a glass of water to rehydrate. Set aside.

Wash beetroots. Take a double width of foil large enough to make a packet for the beets. Pour 2-3 tablespoons balsamic dressing around beetroots and seal packet. Bake 45 minutes or until beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove foil packet from oven, remove beetroots from packet, and place on a plate. Discard foil packet. Cool until beets can be handled without getting burned. (When removing skins from and cutting beets I suggest wearing disposable gloves to prevent staining.) Remove skin from beets using paper towels. Discard skin. Cut each beet into 8 wedges. Set aside.

While beets are cooking make Orange Shallot Vinaigrette and section oranges.

To assemble salad: Remove beet greens stems from water. Remove stems and discard. Tear leaves into bite size pieces and place in a bowl. Toss with desired amount of dressing. In another serving bowl, layer greens, beets, orange segments, and goat cheese crumbles. Makes 4 servings.

Orange Shallot Vinaigrette

3-4 navel oranges or Cara Cara navel oranges (enough oranges to make ½ cup fresh orange juice then segment remaining oranges)
zest from 1 orange
1 ½ tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 ½ tablespoons finely diced shallots
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon honey
4 tablespoons olive oil

Zest 1 orange. (Note: From every orange that is peeled or segmented, catch any accumulated juice in a bowl and transfer to a measuring cup. You may have to juice one or more oranges plus the collected accumulated juice to get ½ cup needed for the vinaigrette.)

Cut skin from oranges over a bowl to catch juice. Squeeze cut skins to catch juice. Pour any accumulated juice into a measuring cup. Segment 2 oranges over a bowl to catch juice. Pour juice in measuring cup. Squeeze remaining membranes from segmenting to get juice. Add to measuring cup. Squeeze 1 to 2 oranges to add to measuring cup for a total of ½ cup juice.

Place zest, juice, vinegar, Dijon, shallots, garlic, and honey in a miniature or large blender. Blend until smooth. Add olive oil and blend until emulsified. Set aside. Note: The dressing has a flavor punch to match the flavor of the greens.

Published in The News and Neighbor on January 31, 2017