Raspberry & Beet Summer Salad
This Ellie Krieger recipe was ripped from the newspaper and has been hanging on my refrigerator for over a month, just taunting me with those beautiful colors.
Whether you are wandering through your local farmers market, grocery store, or backyard garden, beets and raspberries are available right now, making this a perfect simple salad to add to your summer recipe rotation. I made some changes to the original recipe and added avocado and goat cheese.
Between this early heat wave and my ongoing desire to eat more real food, I have been making a ridiculous number of salads this month. It’s the perfect way to keep your kitchen cool while delivering the very best flavors of summer to the table.
I also love keeping salad ingredients + salad dressing (Balsamic Vinaigrette or Buttermilk Ranch) prepped and ready in the fridge to make quick, wholesome lunches. Just pull out a plate, load it up, drizzle with dressing.
There’s just something about eating a real lunch that looks good, tastes good, and makes you feel good. I guess it makes me feel like a real live grown up making good food choices, instead of some overgrown raccoon rummaging around the kitchen for scraps from my kids’ plates and whatever I can dig up in the pantry.
I realize beets are somewhat of an acquired taste. It might take some effort to appreciate that strong, earthy sweetness. Beets are like the hippies of the food world, free spirits who need a shower and just want some love. Give beets a chance, people.
In fact, this might be the perfect place to try them out, just small bites tucked between other bright flavors. If you are vehemently opposed to turning on your oven right now, you can actually just grate raw, peeled beets onto your salad. You still get that color and punch without heating up your house. I just roast a big batch in the morning and keep them in the fridge for use throughout the week.
The rest of the salad comes together with toasted almonds, tangy raspberries, goat cheese, and creamy avocado. The lemon vinaigrette is so simple you can make it in a matter of minutes. This salad hits all the right notes: sweet, tangy, salty, crunchy.
Make yourself a salad.
Summer Salad with Golden Beets, Avocado, and Raspberries
adapted from an Ellie Krieger recipe
Dressing:
3 T. olive oil
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. honey
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
Salad:
2 medium golden beets, peeled, sliced & quartered (+ 1 T. olive oil + salt)
6 c. lightly packed butter or Boston lettuce leaves, torn
1/3 c. nuts (sliced almonds or shelled pistachios)
1 cup fresh raspberries
4 ounces soft goat cheese
1 avocado, cubed
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the beet pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, using your hands to distribute evenly on the pan.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes, flip beets over, and roast for another 15-20 minutes, until slightly soft on the inside and golden brown on the edges. Set aside to cool.
- For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl to make the dressing.
- Add lettuce leaves and the beets to the mixing bowl with the dressing; toss gently to coat.
- Divide the dressed lettuce among individual plates; sprinkle with the nuts, raspberries, goat cheese, and avocado. (You could also keep the dressing & salad ingredients separate for individual salads throughout the week).
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I appreciate Ellie Krieger recipes featured on the Food Network site. She manages to use lighter ingredients and still deliver full flavor. So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger (Amazon) contains 150 delicious recipes that can be prepared quickly. Perfect for summer!
Looking for more delicious salad recipes?
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