Roasted Beets and Walnut Salad
By: Kris Fortier
Published: Monday, August 3, 2015 - 9:07pm

Ingredients




4 medium-sized organic beets, trimmed of leaves
Olive oil spray
Sea salt and ground black pepper for seasoning
6 cups beet leaves or other organic greens such as arugula or spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup roasted walnut oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Optional: goat cheese

Preparation

1 Set oven temperature to 400 degrees. 2 Trim the ends of the beets and scrub thoroughly. They don’t need to be peeled, but you may do so if preferred. Cut them into uniform-size pieces and scatter on a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Roast for 15 minutes, turn the beets over using a spatula, and roast for an additional 15 minutes until tender. 3 While the beets are roasting, trim the stems from the beet leaves and tear into bite-sized pieces. Rinse and spin-dry using a salad spinner. Place the greens in a large salad bowl. 4 Combine the oil and vinegar and whisk until blended. Toss the greens with half of the salad dressing and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the roasted beets, red onion, and walnuts on the greens. Drizzle the remaining salad dressing over the salad and scatter goat cheese on top, if using.

About

If your only experience is pickled beets out of can, you’re in for quite a surprise. In this recipe, beets are roasted to bring out their sweet flavor. Beets may help protect against heart disease because they’re a good source of folate, manganese, potassium, fiber and vitamin C. While red beets are the most common variety found in supermarkets, beets also come in other hues, including white and yellow, more commonly found at farmer or specialty markets. Sadly, most beets are trimmed of their leaves, but the leaves are entirely edible. If you’re lucky enough to find beets with their leaves still intact, use them for the salad greens after trimming away the tough stems.