Beet & Mandarin Orange Salad
By: Gigi Howe
Meet my latest food obsession. I used to hate beets, now I can’t have enough of them. I think it all has to do with how they are prepared. Lately I’ve made several recipes using beets. So far the recipe I am posting today is my favorite. There are other good ones, like with goat cheese or other cheeses, but honestly I just wanted something lighter so I made this recipe.
This recipe is easy to make. Boil your beets until tender, peel them and then add all the ingredients together. If you want to make this recipe even easier, you can buy jarred beets. But one of the benefits of buying fresh beets is the beet greens! I have always loved beet greens; they are delicious. Wash them, chop them up and then saute them in some olive oil and garlic. Or steam them. Check out the great bunch of greens with the beets I bought. It would always amaze me when I would see people purchase beets and throw the greens away!
Back to our recipe. Like I said, its easy to put together. I highly recommend using fresh beets. They are a bit of a mess to clean, once you boil them, let them cool and remove the thin outer skin. Your fingers will be magenta for a while, but a little lemon juice will easily remove the color. Slice up the beets, add in the other ingredients and you’re done. Another tip I have for you to use a large pot to boil your beets. I’ve used a smaller pot and it boiled over.. not good! 😉
Beet and Mandarin Orange Salad
Ingredients:
– 2 – 3 lbs of fresh beets, scrubbed
– 11 oz can of mandarin oranges, drained except for 2 tablespoons of liquid.
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 2 tablespoons vinegar
– 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (spicy brown or dijon)
– salt & pepper to taste
– Lemon zest – optional
Directions:
1. In a saucepan simmer beets until fork tender. Once beets have cooled, peel off the outer skin. In a bowl, slice beats into bite-size pieces. Add drained mandarin oranges.
2. Combine remaining ingredients, mix well and pour over beets and oranges.
Enjoy!!
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