There are lots of landmarks—official and unofficial—that signal the arrival of summer: Memorial Day, the solstice on June 21… But believe it or not, in Colorado, those dates can actually seem too early for summer. In the high country of the Rockies, the nights still dip down close to freezing temps, the snowpack is still thick, and the rivers run swollen and icy with growing snowmelt. By the Fourth of July, however, there’s no question that summer has truly (and finally) arrived.
And nothing tastes like summer quite like a salad such as this. It combines a subtle sweetness and earthiness from roasted beets, mild tartness from the strawberry vinaigrette, fresh crunch of jicama, bitterness of arugula, and a handful of other ingredients to make a fresh salad that epitomizes the season. It’s perfect to complement whatever you might be grilling for this holiday weekend.
Roasted Beet Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
For the salad:
2 beets
4 cups arugula
1/2 jicama, cut into “sticks”
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp cilantro leaves
For the dressing:
1 cup strawberries, stems removed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.
2. Cut the top and bottom off the beets. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and place in a pan.
3. Roast in the oven for 1 hour, until a knife inserts easily into the beets. Allow to cool.
4. Peel the beets by rubbing the skin off and slice into bite-sized pieces.
5. Combine the beets, arugula, jicama, pecans, cheese, and cilantro leaves.
6. Prepare the dressing by putting the strawberries, vinegar, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
7. Dress the salad and serve.
Ack! New book out and no announcement :-)? I received my copy today, from Amazon. I’ve read through the entire thing and I can’t wait to start cooking with my kids. They’re becoming old hats at cooking already but there is always something new to teach them. Since finding out DS has to be gluten and dairy and egg free, we’ve just reformed the kitchen to accommodate a one family, one meal approach. Your most recent entry in the cookbook world is sure to make our daily eating easy and pleasurable.
Thanks for all of your work, Mr. and Mrs. Bronski. I love that you approach g-free eating with an eye for traditional foods and don’t make it too complicated to go this route.
Hi Amy,
We are so glad you are inspired by the book! We will be making the big announcement for the official release date, which is 7/15. Amazon had it available earlier than expected!
Thank you,
Kelli
Oh! That explains it. Thanks so much for your reply. I really enjoy the book, tomorrow night we’re making your pizza dough for personal pies. Have a wonderful day.