ROASTED BEET AND WALNUT SALAD

So I’m at this birthday party held for me at a nice Italian restaurant and there are eight of us and we all have a salad course that includes a sliced beets garnish. No one likes beets and I'm eating everybody’s. I’m incredulous that no one appreciates beets so I decide to prepare beets in a way that all would appreciate.

If the notion of eating beets makes you sad, get ready for a happy upgrade. There is a wonderful way to enjoy this very healthy vegetable which is so rich in folate, manganese and fiber.

If you think you don't like beets – think again. You could like beets; but not the way they are usually prepared. Forget those horrible canned, bland beets and roast up some fresh ones. When you do, you'll be a beet-lover.

As their intense colour indicates, beets are big-time antioxidant providers and also have cancer and heart- disease fighting properties, as well as a host of vitamins and minerals. Nutritious beets are inexpensive; they store well; and they’re available throughout the year.

But forget about the numerous health benefits these ruby-coloured gems bestow. Roasting the beets magically brings out an extraordinary flavour that you can savour with an all over warm pleasant taste. Beets done this way will tickle your innards. Roasted beets could become as popular as baked Idaho potatoes, or okay, at least an occasional culinary diversion.

Roasted beets pair blissfully with greens, cheese and nuts. If you haven’t eaten beets in awhile, or never; please try this dish and excite your taste buds. A zesty, vibrant salad of greens, cheese and nuts that features roasted beets. I know - your mouth is already watering, so I’ll stop talking now and let you go ahead and enjoy.

Salad of Roasted Beets with Gorgonzola and Walnuts serves four

Ingredients

5 small beets

¼ cup raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
½ teaspoon of honey
1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste

½ pound baby spinach, torn
Small handful of radicchio, torn
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted lightly in a dry skillet
4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (or blue cheese or goat cheese)

Cut-up sliced peaches or mandarin orange segments

Method:

• Heat oven to 350F/175C. Wash and scrub the beets thoroughly. Leave the skins on.

• Rub the beets with some olive oil
• Put the oiled beets in a baking dish just large enough to hold them.
• Bake them for 45 minutes.
• Check that they are tender. Depending on their size they may need a couple more minutes.
• Remove from oven and let the beets cool slightly.

• Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, and garlic in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Set this vinaigrette aside.

• After beets have cooled enough to handle, remove and discard skins and cut into bite-size pieces.
• Mix beets with half of the vinaigrette, then mix spinach and watercress or radicchio with the rest of the vinaigrette.
• Transfer greens to plates and top with the beets, walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese. Add the peaches and/or orange segments.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but eat beets this way for your good health. These beets are great. Try this and get ready to eat beets more often