Two Great Recipes for CSA Week #1
One thing that we love about this time of year is the fresh produce that is just starting to ripen in the fields! I have really learned to love beets! This is a simple and easy way to roast them, quickly for a salad. Put gloves on when peeling if you are worried about getting your hands stained. Feel free to use the beet greens for your salad also! They are just a delicious as the bulbs! Some of you may be getting them next week in your bags instead. Mother Nature didn’t want all of them to ripen just yet. For those of you that didn’t get beets…skip down to the Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe!
Roasting Beets:
*Mixed Green Salad with Beets & Pecans*
2-3 beets
1/3 cup broken pecans
1/2 to 3/4 pound salad greens or spinach
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
1 to 2 T chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon or parsley)
Dressing:
1-1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 T sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed, optional
1/2 to 1 tsp Dijon mustard, or to taste
3 T walnut oil
1/4 cup olive oil
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
For salad, cut away beet leaves by slicing across top end of beet, about 1/2 inch above where stems and root meet (save leaves for another purpose or place in with the spinach and salad greens). Follow directions listed above for roasting the beets.
Toast pecans in dry skillet over medium heat, shaking pan or stirring nuts, until they begin to smell toasty and are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer them immediately to a plate or bowl.
Toss beets with salad greens, pecans, goat cheese and fresh herbs.
For dressing: Mix together vinegars, salt and pepper to taste, garlic and mustard. Whisk in oils. Taste. If you want dressing to be a bit more tart, add another 1 teaspoon vinegar. Toss with salad and serve.
Serves 4 – 6
Strawberry Spinach Salad
- 1 bunch spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup white sugar (sub honey if you are avoiding sugar)
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Directions
- In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.
See last week’s blog below called “Strawberries Have Arrived!!!” for: Balsamic Black Pepper Strawberries recipe and descriptions of all of our great Strawberry Varieties!
