Monday, August 6, 2012

Beet and Spinach Salad

What a weekend!
Two more 60th birthday celebrations for
my brother-in-law and his buddy
hosted by their families




a wee trip to the lake for this birthday celebration,
A shopping spree at Ikea,
and a long weekend Monday
to get lots of work done around home!!  Love it!

Today we worked hard - it felt great
It was a glorious sunny, not so hot and humid day.
The garage trim got painted,
the garden got weeded and tilled,
the potatoes were dug and the beets were pulled.
The cherry tomatoes were picked but didn't 
make it to the house - mmmm so good!


Loads of laundry hung in the sun all day,
time out for a cold drink and to watch
the Ladies Olympic USA vs. Canada soccer game,
shrubs got trimmed,
 and last but not least
we feasted on fresh picked corn on the cob,
boiled potatoes, delicious farmer's sausage,
and a fresh Beet and Spinach Salad.


I like to grow the "candy cane" beets and the white beets
specifically for this favourite "beet the heat" salad:


Beets – Toss beets with a bit of Olive Oil and baked at 400 degrees for about 1 hour (wrapped loosely in foil on a cookie sheet) or boil the beets till fork tender.  Allow to cool, peel and use immediately or save in refrigerator until ready to use (will last several days).
Salad:
Lay a bed of spinach or lightly steamed rapinni or other dark leafy greens onto salad plate.  Slice beets (warm or room temp.)  over the greens.  Add a few orange slices and tomato wedges.  Drizzle with following dressing:
Shake or whisk together:
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Splash of Red Wine Vinegar
1-2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. honey
Minced garlic
Garnish:
Crumbled goat cheese (chevre or feta), or bocconcini cheese, or sliced hard boiled eggs, or all three.  Sprinkle with dill or other herbs and black pepper.
Toasted walnuts and bite size pieces of Prosciutto are a nice addition as well.



We ended the day on the back patio
watching the sun set over the corn field,
watching the moon flowers unravel,
listening to the night sounds and enjoying
a cold glass of white wine.



T'was another productive Holiday weekend!







9 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great weekend and lovely Monday! That salad looks very refreshing...

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  2. Oooh I wish I'd seen this recipe before I made supper. I had fresh beets, which we love - and I'd have loved to have made the salad. I'm filing it away for another evening.

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  3. Looks like a fun party! Love those hats! Love beets.....must try the salad:)

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  4. We love that productive feeling, don't we? I cleaned my pantry out today and that felt productive... even though playing with the grands was probably more important for the long run.

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  5. My goodness! I'm exhausted just reading about all that activity! What an amazing day of "getting it done" you guys had. The salad is very pretty and I'm sure delicious. I never have much luck with roasting my vegetables in the oven, though. Must try it again.

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  6. Sounds just wonderful, Rosella!! We're going out to dinner tonight and I plan to load up my salad with pickled beets :)

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  7. What a great day. I love those perfect endings to a day.
    Oh..your beet salad looks great. We are eating beets like crazy right now. I have never heard of white beets. I am going to look for them next spring.

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  8. I'm going to try this beet recipe. It sounds delicious and I like beets in a cold salad. This is one of the best blogs on the internet. Keep up the great work! Lisa MacDonald

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    Replies
    1. Aww Lisa - thank you for your kindest words! If you make this be sure to add some toasted walnuts as well - that really adds another great layer of flavour!

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