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This salad brings together caramelized roasted beets, creamy goat cheese, salty roasted pistachios, creamy avocado, and tangy citrus in a simple orange-honey vinaigrette. Not only is everything about this delicious, but the red beets are perfect for Valentine’s day. This salad pairs well with any main protein dish, but I especially like to have this with a nice pork chop. You can find almost everything you need for this recipe at your local farmer’s market.

Ingredients

Salad

  • ▢ 7 cups mixed greens approximately one bunch of spinach and a large head of lettuce
  • ▢ 1 large avocado
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ▢ 1/3 cup lightly salted and roasted pistachios or walnuts coarsely chopped
  • ▢ 3-4 mandarin oranges peeled and segmented
  • ▢ crumbled goat cheese add to preference (~1/3 cup)

Roasted Beets

  • ▢ 2-3 1 lb whole beets
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ▢ Fine sea salt & freshly cracked pepper

Dressing

  • ▢ 1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
  • ▢ 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • ▢ 1 and 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ▢ 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ▢ 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • ▢ 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ▢ 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

Instructions

Roast Beets

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Wash beets under cold water and cut off the top and bottom. Cut beets in half and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper.
  3. Lay out a large piece of tinfoil. Wrap and seal beets. (Or place beets in a greased baking dish and cover).
  4. Roast the foil package for 1 hour or until beets are tender when poked with a fork.
  5. Once cooled to touch, using rubber gloves or paper towels, rub the beets and the skins will just slide right off.
  6. Cut into ½ – ¾ inch cubes

Dressing

  1. While beets are roasting, prepare the dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid. Close tightly and shake well until combined. Taste and adjust any flavors to personal preference.

Salad Assembly

  1. Place the lettuce in a large bowl or on a platter. Peel and segment the oranges; add to salad. Chop the avocado into small pieces (or thin slices) and toss with lemon juice. Add to the lettuce.
  2. Drizzle dressing to preference. (You may not want to use all the dressing. Leftover dressing will stay good for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.)
  3. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios and crumbled goat cheese over top.

Recipe Notes

If making this salad ahead of time, keep the lettuce, the dressing, and all the veggies and toppings separate. Toss together right before enjoying.
Do not toss the salad with the dressing until ready to use. This salad doesn't store or sit well when dressed and is best enjoyed right after being served.
Red beets will make this a bit more dressed up for Valentine’s Day, but golden beets or Chioggia (bull’s eye) beets are very tasty in this salad as well!