Warm Roasted Beet Salad w/Beet Greens & Balsamic-Honey-Dijon Dressing

This is a simple way to prep some scrumptious beets… using the greens too!!  Many don’t realize that the greens are not only healthy, but delicious to eat, so don’t throw them away- cook them up and make them part of the salad.  Hot or cold, beet greens are an awesome addition to any little beet dish…

I made a simple vinaigrette with Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and herbs.  Then tossed it with some sauteed greens with garlic, some roasted beets, and a wee touch of feta cheese and toasted pine nuts.  A warm comforting dish that screams health and flavor.

This reminds me of my childhood… in Greece, it’s really common to cook up whatever greens are around and toss them with olive oil and lemon.  Some say it’s why Greeks are so healthy 😉  This sorta has that vibe to me… some tasty greens with a warm vibrant dressing.  And let’s not forget the star- the roasted beets!!  They’re so beautiful, sweet, and tasty… and raosting them really brings out their flavor.

In my CSA this week, I got these beautiful roots- check out those colorful carrots!

Can’t wait to make something yummy with them!!

And these beets… they’re so bright and beautiful…

Not to mention awesomely psychedelic inside… love ’em!

Reminds me of agate… like a purple rock of deliciousness

(Kay, I’ll stop rambling about these beets… on with the recipe!)

INGREDIENTS

for beets…

1 bunch of beets (about 6 small-medium guys, with greens)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

for dressing…

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp honey (I use raw)

1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp water

1/8 tsp herbs de Provence (or mix of various herbs such as thyme, rosemary, etc)

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

for greens…

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove

1 tbsp pine nuts

1 tbsp feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

wash beets and greens well

Cut greens off of beets

Chop ends off of beets, as well as any rough edges

Slice beets in half (aren’t they so pretty!?)

And then quarter- you want large bite-sized pieces

In a baking dish, toss beets, olive oil, and 1/4 tsp salt together

Place in oven (center rack) for about 20 minutes, until beets are cooked and soft

Meanwhile, prepare everything else…

Chop tops of beets from greens- keep stems

Roughly chop greens and stems

Set aside until ready to cook

To make dressing, mix all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended

I just got an immersion blender for my birthday so was super excited to use it- it came with a bunch of extensions, so this was a perfect excuse to try out the whisk!!

Taste for seasoning and set aside

Toast pine nuts in a small pan- no need to use oil or anything- they have enough oils by themselves

Use a high heat, but watch out- they burn easily (I almost charred mine!!)

By now, beets should be done…

Check and then set aside to cool

Last step- make the greens!

Finely mince garlic

Then stir in garlic and cook for about 5 more minutes, again stirring

Transfer greens to a large mixing bowl

Toss in beets and dressing

(I transferred again to a prettier bowl- no need to though)

Top with toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta

Eat warm or let cool and enjoy!!