After taking a beat on beets, vegetable back in for summer salad

Jun 01, 2024

This summer salad can revive dormant love for beets.

When I was 11, I got to spend a week of summer vacation with my Aunt Thelma and Uncle Charlie. I still have fond memories of that week, except for the fact that it ruined me on pickled beets and just beets in general, for the next 15 years.

My Aunt Thelma made the most amazing, pickled beets and I told her they were my absolute favorite. She brought them to every family reunion, and I devoured them. To me they tasted like candy. During my weeklong stay, beets were on the table at every meal, every snack and I’m surprised they were not offered as dessert.

Being the polite child that I was, I ate them, and ate them, and yes, continued to eat them all week long. After that visit, I was so tired of them, the very thought of eating beets would send me reeling.

It wasn’t until I was in my late 20s that I finally ate another beet. I was at a friend’s home for dinner, when the salad that was offered had, you guessed it, beets. I was taught, as a guest, you eat what is served. By the time I finished my salad, I was once again a fan of beets, only this time in moderation.

It turns out that beets, whether pickled, roasted or juiced, have amazing health benefits. According to the Cleveland Clinic, beets enhance blood flow, improve the health of arteries and reduce LDL cholesterol.

Beets are an excellent source of antioxidants — a natural compound that helps protect cells from damage.

Beets are naturally high in fiber and low in calories, which helps to control blood sugar levels, and maintain a healthy weight. Beets contain nitrates to help open blood vessels, which can lower blood pressure and improve brain function.

I’m glad to be reunited with this jewel of a vegetable and enjoy it in many forms.

The Roasted Beet and Orange Salad is one of my favorites. I recently harvested the last of the arugula and beets from my small garden and thought to recreate the salad that reintroduced beets back into my diet.

Arugula is a flavorful green with a mild peppery bite that pairs nicely with the sweetness of the beets and orange, but you can easily substitute spring mix or spinach.

After washing and peeling my medium-sized beets, I quartered them, spritzed them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

I placed them on a baking sheet and roasted them in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, until they were tender.

For convenience, store-bought or home canned pickled beets work well in this recipe.

I like to section my own navel or blood orange for this recipe, but canned and drained mandarin oranges will do in a pinch.

Topping the salad with a lemon zest vinaigrette brings it all together.

You really can have too much of a good thing. I learned moderation with beets was the key. Now to practice that with potato chips.

Kathy Nicarry, former chef at Bernheim’s Isaac’s Cafe, unites her passion for cooking with a love of the natural world. She can be reached at [email protected].

Ingredients

1 lb medium roasted or pickled beets, cut into bite sized chunks

2 oranges, peeled and sectioned, or 1 small can of drained mandarin oranges

¼ cup chopped red onion

½ cup chopped English cucumber

½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

¼ cup chopped English walnuts

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

5-oz fresh arugula or spring mix

Lemon Zest Vinaigrette

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

The zest of one lemon

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

To make the vinaigrette, place all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake vigorously until emulsified.

Place salad greens in a large shallow bowl. Top with cucumber, tomato, onion, orange segments and walnuts. Arrange cooled roasted beets on top. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette and finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

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