Beet Salad
I can not even begin to tell you how busy we've been this week. And how much more I have to tackle before my mom and goddaughter's arrival on the 5th. *sigh* This next recipe was part of the PAR tasting this past Thursday (scaled up, of course, for our team). Following our work in the garden, we got cleaned up, did a little educational segment, and then sat down for a meal together. We had traditional pot roast, a gravy made of pan drippings and caramelized onions, the parsnip purée, green beans, buttered corn, the salad listed below, a lovely homemade wheat bread (thanks, Judith), water, lemonade, assorted sodas and a delicious Ocracoke Restaurant Fig Cake with Buttermilk Glaze (thanks, Ester) to round out our meal. Needless to say, everyone had a good time and we left with full bellies.
The salad is nice. The greens and beets act as a lovely neutral backdrop to the sharp acidity of the vinaigrette, the creaminess of the feta and the sweet crunch of the pecans (see note below). I ended up using diced canned beets, but you are welcome to roast your own, if you'd like. If you are in the market for another great salad, check out the one in related links. It's got a spinach/arugula base, Gorgonzola, toasted pecans and a light drizzle of honey. *swoon*
I offered two different kinds of pecans. The candied one of the original recipe...which is much like a 'wet sundae nut' or a sugared option. Scroll down to see both.
Credit: Pink Parsley
Partial can of beets, thoroughly drained, or 4 medium beets, roasted, skin removed
2/3 cup chopped pecans
3 TBSP real maple syrup
1 (10 ounce) package mixed baby salad greens
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup light extra-virgin olive oil
Up to 4 ounces crumbled feta
Dice beets. Place the pecans in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until warm and starting to toast...they'll become fragrant...then stir in the maple syrup. Cook and stir until evenly coated, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. This won't take long at all.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make the dressing. Place a large helping of baby greens onto each of four salad plates, divide candied pecans equally and sprinkle over the greens. Place equal amounts of beets over the greens, and top with crumbled feta. Drizzle each plate generously with the dressing.
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Each holiday season. I do a big spread of finger foods/nibbles for Christmas Eve. This is one of the items that is always made.
1 egg white
1 TBSP water
1 lb pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet. In a medium mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. Pour in the nuts. Now dump in your sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir to coat the nuts evenly. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Related recipes:
* Summer Grilled Peach Salad
The salad is nice. The greens and beets act as a lovely neutral backdrop to the sharp acidity of the vinaigrette, the creaminess of the feta and the sweet crunch of the pecans (see note below). I ended up using diced canned beets, but you are welcome to roast your own, if you'd like. If you are in the market for another great salad, check out the one in related links. It's got a spinach/arugula base, Gorgonzola, toasted pecans and a light drizzle of honey. *swoon*
I offered two different kinds of pecans. The candied one of the original recipe...which is much like a 'wet sundae nut' or a sugared option. Scroll down to see both.
Credit: Pink Parsley
Partial can of beets, thoroughly drained, or 4 medium beets, roasted, skin removed
2/3 cup chopped pecans
3 TBSP real maple syrup
1 (10 ounce) package mixed baby salad greens
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup light extra-virgin olive oil
Up to 4 ounces crumbled feta
Dice beets. Place the pecans in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until warm and starting to toast...they'll become fragrant...then stir in the maple syrup. Cook and stir until evenly coated, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. This won't take long at all.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make the dressing. Place a large helping of baby greens onto each of four salad plates, divide candied pecans equally and sprinkle over the greens. Place equal amounts of beets over the greens, and top with crumbled feta. Drizzle each plate generously with the dressing.
____________________
Each holiday season. I do a big spread of finger foods/nibbles for Christmas Eve. This is one of the items that is always made.
1 egg white
1 TBSP water
1 lb pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet. In a medium mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. Pour in the nuts. Now dump in your sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir to coat the nuts evenly. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Related recipes:
* Summer Grilled Peach Salad