Beet Root and Feta Salad

Salads are such great summer foods.  I don’t want to be chained to a stove on hot days, and all of that fresh produce really fits the bill when you just need something light on the hot days.  Granted, it hasn’t been that hot so far this summer.  Not at least at my house!  But the heat will come.  Eventually.  And I’ll be glad for this salad then!

Nothing beats beets in a salad.  Yes, I said it.  They add a different kind of texture and a lot of color.  I love putting cheese in a salad too.  It helps fill it up a bit and gives it more body.  It also turns a salad from a first course into a meal.  A strong, flavorful cheese goes best with beets, I’ve found, so when I saw some goat cheese feta at the farmer’s market recently, I knew what I had to get.  I also really like sprinkling nuts or seeds on my salad, so in went sunflower seeds.  To top it all off, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  A simple salad dressing to let the flavors of the beets, cheese, oil and vinegar play off each other.

While I didn’t put it in this salad, tomatoes, dried cranberries, cucumbers and carrots would all work well.  And if you don’t have feta, switch up the cheese for maybe a bleu, or go the other way with a hard cheese like Parmesan.  Use my recipe as inspiration – use what you have in your fridge and pantry.  Use what is available at your farmer’s markets and CSAs.  Use what you like!  What are your favorite variations?

See below for my ingredients and instructions.

• 1 Medium sized beet
• 1 Small head of heirloom leaf lettuce
• Crumbles of feta cheese – to taste
• Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar – to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons Sunflower seeds

But the beet into 6 wedges and boil about a half hour or until you can stick a fork into it easily without it being mushy.  Personally, I will boil several at once and keep the rest in the fridge so I can make more salads quickly.

When the beets are finished boiling, dump them in ice water.  This will also cause the skin to become loose and you can peel it off with your fingers.

Wash and dry the lettuce and chop it into bite size pieces.  Put it on the plate.  Add the cooled beets and cheese.  Add anything else you have around.  Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar (use about twice as much oil as vinegar) then top with sunflower seeds.

Voila!  Beet root salad.

]]> http://www.completelyedible.com/2009/07/beet-root-and-feta-salad/feed/ 1 http://www.completelyedible.com/2009/04/simple-spring-salad/ http://www.completelyedible.com/2009/04/simple-spring-salad/#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:08:40 +0000 Stacy http://www.completelyedible.com/?p=97

Simple Spring Salad with Sourdough Bread and Butter for Dinner

Summer is a perfect time for salads. You just need something light, quick and fresh. It may not be summer yet, but recently its been so warm, and I’ve spent a good deal of time outside. When I come inside, I need food that is quick and light. Salad fit the bill. This salad has very simple ingredients: 

• Baby greens (I used a wide mix – branch out from the basic lettuce or mesclun mix and see what else you can find in your area. Arugala, dandelion greens, miner’s lettuce, the possibilities are endless!)
• Sunflower seeds
• 1/2 of a tomato
• About 1 inch of a Jerusalem Artichoke (aka sunchoke) peeled and sliced into several thin round slivers
• Cheese – I used an artisnal raw milk cheese similar to creamy cheddar

For the dressing, I used:

• Olive Oil

and small amounts of

• Flax seed oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard

The Jerusalem Artichoke added a nice crispness and the cheese gave it a nice tang. What a great and simple spring salad!