Two things to say about this salad.
- My father-in-law feels that arugula is the most useless and tasteless veggie EVER. I do feel that it’s a little bit tasteless, but definitely not useless. And it’s pretty!
- Canned beets are easy, but when you make your own beets, the taste is SO MUCH BETTER, and healthier too.
The first time I ever made my own beets was yesterday. I was a canned or packaged beet girl through and through (Trader Joe’s packaged beets are actually pretty good!), but I think I have been converted. We are part of a CSA with a local farm (Healey Farm, that is, and you can find it on Facebook) from July to October that gives us a bounty of veggies and herbs once a week.
What is a CSA?
It stands for community-supported agriculture, and is also known as a farm share. You buy shares of a farm’s harvest in advance which provides the farm with start up funds for the season. This secures you with a fresh and local harvest on a weekly basis. The half share is enough for a family of 4 or 5 and cost us $400 for the entire season. After the first box, I think this is well worth the price, and I’ve heard it only gets better from here. A lot of leafy greens at first, some squash, zucchini, herbs, peppers and these beets on week one. Hence, the reason for this salad.
If it wasn’t for this farm share which forced these root vegetables into my home, I would have never made them myself.
So how did I make the beets?
Cook your beets in the Instant Pot if you have one. They only took 15 minutes! Use the pressure cook option with 1 cup of water and place them on the long handled trivet. That’s it! Peeling the beets (which came in three colors!) was very easy and kind of soothing. Revealing their color and beauty with each peel was kind of enjoyable, but that’s just me, and I’m a little weird. Cooking beets is definitely not for everyone, so the canned and packaged store-bought options are A-okay!
What about the dressing?
Store-bought (of course!) The price is right for the quality and taste of the D.E. Vine Foods Famous Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. Trust me! It’s a Rhode Island best seller, and I use it ALL THE TIME. So does my best friend, Lindsay, who moved to Africa for a year and took this with her. I’m not kidding! It’s THAT GOOD. Caprese salads! Marinades! You name it! It’s made with a blend of olive oil , balsamic vinegar, honey, sugar, spices and herbs. Sure, we could probably make this ourselves, but why would we when someone already made it for us?
Beet Salad
Ingredients
- Arugula
- Leafy Lettuce
- 6-8 beets (pre-cooked canned and packaged beets are okay)
- Goat Cheese (optional)
- Pepitas (no shell pumpkin seeds)
- Store-bought Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
Directions
- Step 1 Clean and steam your beets. If you have an Instant Pot, this will take 15 minutes with 1 cup of water using the pressure cook option and the long handle trivet accessory. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can use a steamer. Fill the bottom of the steamer with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Add beets, cover, and steam for 15-30 minutes depending on their size. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert the tip or knife into the beet. You can also roast the beets, but that takes twice as long.
- Step 2 In the meantime, wash the lettuce and prepare your salad.
- Step 3 When ready, cool, peel and slice the beets. Beets can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.
