Fresh Beet Salad

A restaurant in town had a fresh beet salad that was delicious. I had actually never eaten fresh beets - I don't like them pickled from the jar and didn't know they were prepared another way. Silly me.

This salad had a delicious, smooth texture of the roasted beets, coupled with the lighter goat cheese chive mousse flavor, fresh greens with balsamic honey dressing...I really couldn't get over it. There were 4 (whole) beets per plate (2 red/2 golden) with a mound of Argula and Quinoa to the side drizzled with dressing and garnished with honey roasted almonds.

I brought together some different recipes here. It's mostly to give you an idea - but it is not perfected. Maybe you can do that and send it to me. This could easily be a veggie main entrée with some fresh bread and a cup of soup.

Ingredients.
Roasted beets
Argula salad mixed greens
Honey roasted almonds
Quinoa
Goat Cheese mousse
Balsamic honey dressing

Roasting the beets
You'll want to pick beets the same size, about 1 - 2". Heat oven to 400. Make an aluminum foil pocket and seal the beets together inside in a single layer. Bake on center rack for 40 minutes.  Cool slightly and rub with a paper towel to remove the peel. If it doesn't come off easily, return to the oven for 10 minutes more (the beets aren't done).  Once they're peeled, trim one end flat for the base and chill.


Roasting the almondsYou can buy these honey roasted, or if you have raw almonds on hand you can heat the oven to 350, whip one egg white to a froth, add 1 teaspoon of organic honey and fold over almonds. Turn onto a cookie sheet and bake about 7-10 minutes. Cool and break apart (these can be done way ahead)

QuinoaCook quinoa to yield about 1 cup cooked. Cool.  (leftover quinoa is ideal)

Balsamic Honey Dressing
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. fig jam or honey (whisk together - refrigerate - lasts a week or more in the fridge)

Goat Cheese mousse
1/2 c. whipping cream plus 2 T. milk
4 ozs fresh goat cheese
2 T. finely chopped chives (and salt & pepper to taste)

 It's quick with an electric mixer - whisk the cream to form soft peaks. Set aside in the fridge. In another bowl whisk goat cheese and milk until it softens, mix in chives, and gently fold into whipped cream. (this needs to be done shortly before serving)

Assemble.
Drizzle the bottom of the plate with mousse. Mix the quinoa and greens, toss with dressing and pile on the right of the plate. On the left, stand up the 4 beets in the goat cheese mousse, garnish with almonds and serve.