Oh, beets. How I love you. I think my generation grew up with an engrained hatred of beets (thanks to one of our favorite childhood cartoons, Doug). But when I tried them for the first time, I immediately fell in love. To me, they taste like candy. Sweet, buttery, and earthy, with the most unique texture and the most gorgeous color in the world. And they are SO healthy! They’re full of antioxidants, they’re anti-inflammatory, and they help with detoxifying. They’re packed with folate, manganese, potassium, copper, and fiber. Their nutrients can help protect against heart disease, colon cancer, and birth defects. Not to mention- they usually come attached to their greens, which are also edible and very healthy. I used them last week to make Broccoli Avocado Soup with Beet Greens. If you want, you can use the greens in this salad (although I prefer more delicate baby greens).
And the grapefruit vinaigrette. Oh goodness. This has become my new favorite recipe for salad dressing. I typically use the same ingredients as a base for all of my dressings- dijon mustard (which adds a tangy flavor and helps emulsify the dressing), an acid (in this case, a mixture of grapefruit juice and red wine vinegar), olive oil, salt, and pepper. I’ll add a little honey if it needs a touch of sweet. A lot of people I know can’t have grapefruit due to being on medications that don’t react well with it. If this is you, or if you just can’t find good, fresh grapefruit, feel free to substitute orange juice for it.
Roasting the beets is easy. Just wrap them- unpeeled and drizzled with just a bit of olive oil- in aluminum foil. Roast on a baking sheet in the oven for about 45 minutes at 425 degrees (or, place the foil wrapped beets in your slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours). Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool, and the peels can be rubbed off with your hands. So easy! That said, feel free to use the canned/jarred version to make this recipe extra simple and easy. I used candied walnuts in this salad that I made last week. You can use candied walnuts or pecans from the store, or if you want the salad to be a bit less sweet, plain nuts can also be used. Recipe for Roasted Beet Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette below!
