Channeling Shakespeare, I ask, ‘Do I love this salad?‘ And my reply is a resounding, ‘Yes, and let me count the ways…’

• The balance of earthiness from the beets and sweet acidic of the citrus.
• The punch of homemade dressing.
• The crunch of the roasted pistachios
• The funky cheesy fat that the feta brings.
• The fact that we have a new salad to throw in the mix!

Ok – that’s a lot, but this was so fun to make, so beautiful to plate, and I found a way to throw beets on the table that did not overwhelm. So, I consider that a win.

It was the ongoing question on a weeknight of what are we having for dinner! I recently saw a meme that you know you are married when you hear that question every day for the rest of your life. And there is truth to that.

Depending on the day, it is not always easy to have the answer to the lifelong question. Some days are truly inspired and some days are tired and I find myself staring into a fridge full of options, but a blank creative foodie slate.

I work to meal plan most weeks and try to shop once to make the weeknights smoother – especially when I want to try a new recipe, because if it going to take some prep, we do not want to be eating at 9pm. It is so much easier to have everything you need ready for the week. The one thing that is hard to count on is my energy level at the end of the day. Some days take a little more out of you than others.

Luckily on this day, I had a great amount of energy and excitement for this meal. It included experimenting with this salad along side orange marinaded pork chops. A complimentary combo that I will gladly be adding to the weeknight rotation again.

Variation Option: If you or your family is not a huge fan of red beets, either dice them up in smaller cubes for more palatability, or substitute golden beets.

Roasted Beet & Citrus Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 beets, roasted, skins removed, and cut into wedges (I used medium size beets and got 8 wedges per beet)
• 2 Oranges, supreme’d and remaining juice extracted
• Olive oil
• Honey
• Salt and pepper
• Quality white/red wine vinegar, or other comparable vinegar
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup pistachios, roasted and chopped
• Fresh herbs – Dill & Basil for this salad

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Trim each end of the beet and scrub the beets with a vegetable brush under cool running water. Dry them off with a paper towel. Prepare foil sheets, one for each beet. Rub beet in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap the beet in tin foil and set on baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 45 – 75 mins (depending on beets size) until fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool ten minutes. Carefully remove skins (should peel away easily, but will be hot to touch), and slice into wedges.

Toast the pistachios either on a non-stick skillet for 5-8 mins over med-high heat, moving around frequently so they don’t burn. Or on a sheet pan in a 425°F oven for approximately 4-7 mins, shaking the pan 1-2 times during the cook to make sure they don’t burn. Let cool for 5-10 mins and roughly chop. Set aside for assembly.

Supreme the oranges and squeeze out the remaining juice. Reserve the supremes for plating. To the orange juice, add your salt, pepper, vinegar, and honey and whisk to combine. When that is incorporated, add enough olive oil to balance out the vinegar. Usually, about a 3 to 1 ratio. (For 1/4 cup juice, you should need about 3/4 cup oil). Stir in chopped herbs and let sit for flavors to marry.

To assemble, place a bed of spinach or mixed greens on your plate or low bowl. Arrange orange and beet slices around. Top with dressing, roasted pistachios, and feta cheese and enjoy! Option to add more herbs if desired at this point.

Happy Salading!!!

**Recipe inspired by Woman’s Day Mache, Beet, & Orange Salad, with adaptations.