Orange and Beet Salad
I am keeping my commitment to eat more beets. I used to be really intimidated by them. I thought they had this dirt-like taste and took a lot of work to prepare. Boy, was I wrong. These burgundy beauties are not only tasty, they are super good for you. They are rich in antioxidants and are great for the digestive system.
I hope the last beet recipe I shared a while back got you hooked on this vegetable. And if you didn’t get enough of it, here’s another one!
Like peanut butter and chocolate, orange and beet are meant for each other. The acidity from the oranges balances out the sweetness of the beets. The onion in this salad add a spicy kick and a crunchy texture.
You can use canned beets for this recipe, but roasting your own will give you most flavor. Roasting vegetables under high heat evaporates the water and intensifies the flavor. I know that roasting can take up quite a bit of time. It took a little more than an hour for me. But keep in mind that most of that time is unattended. You can roast a whole bunch of them at once and use them throughout the week for salads and snacks. Roasted and peeled beets will keep for about a week in a sealed Ziplock.
Keep in mind that handling the beets will stain your hands. The stain will wash off in a day or so, but you can wear latex gloves to prevent it.
Just like how they stains your hands, the beets will stain the onion and the oranges in the salad. Although it doesn’t affect the dish’s taste at all, I’d recommend tossing the salad right before you plan on serving it to preserve the colors of the different ingredients.
This salad is great at room temperature, but I really like it cold. You can prepare all the components ahead of time, store them in the fridge and toss right before the meal.
I hope you enjoy this salad and eat more beets!
Orange and Beet Salad
- Beets, 4 small (about 1 pound), scrubbed and the greens trimmed
- Oranges, 2 medium
- Onion, half of a medium, thinly sliced
- Fresh orange juice, 2 tablespoons (you may get this by collecting the juice from slicing the two oranges)
- Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- Salt, 2 big pinches
- Pepper, 1 pinch
- Parsley, chopped, 2 tablespoons
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pierce the beets a few times with the tip of a sharp knife. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast until they are tender, or when a knife slides easily through the widest part of the beets. Roasting time depends on the size of your beets. Mine were about 3 inches in diameter and took 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Let the beets rest until they are cool enough to handle. Peel them with a paring knife and slice into wedges.
Cut off the top and bottom of an orange. Stand it cut side down on a cutting board. Peel off the skin and white pith with a knife. Hold the orange in one hand and a paring knife on the other. Run the knife along the membranes of the orange. Loosen to release the orange sections. Repeat with the other orange. If you section the oranges over a bowl, you can collect their juices for the vinaigrette.
Whisk the orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Place beets on a plate. Layer oranges on top. Sprinkle onions over the oranges. Drizzle on the orange juice vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped parsley. Toss right before serving.
Serves 4.