roasted beet salad with arugula, butter lettuce and goat cheese

there are many recipes for roasted beet salad with cheese and nuts. the dressing is the key in this recipe. it was to accompany a pork roast and a heavy sweet potato,leek, parsnip au gratin. i wanted it to be slightly sweet. it was a hit...a keeper!

first a note on the greens in any salad: for crisp greens that hold the dressing...wash the greens in ice water ahead of time and spin dry. wrap in a dish towel or paper towels and store in the frig. for a couple of hours

 wrap the beets in foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. when they have cooled, remove the skins. the beets can be roasted ahead of time and refrigerated for a day or 2 if needed.

cut the beets in the desired shape. if the beets were small i would have quartered them



diced beets

dressing ingredients
1/2 good quality olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
juice of 1 clementine
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

blend all ingredients. i place them in a jar and shake it. this too can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. be sure that it is at room temperature before using it.

crumble the goat cheese. i estimate about an ounce per salad

assemble the salad by placing the greens on a plate and adding a serving of beets,
spoon the dressing over all the beets and greens
add the crumbles goat cheese

                                                                           enjoy!

two easy and delish summer salads-corn and tomato

two very easy salads that take minutes to make. the corn salad is one of the ways that i use the leftovers from 'corn on the cob'. the tomato salad is simple and more ingredients can be added but this version is quick and so good. the picture below is neither tomato nor corn but begged to be included...



cosmos, a future painting

i am still waiting for the large heirlooms to ripen. in the meantime, the 2 'glacier ' plants are producing an abundant supply of small, very sweet fruit. the cherry , black cherry and yellow pears are ripening fast also. for this salad, i chose the glacier and yellow pears. any combination of any variety will do

tomato salad
3-4 cups tomatoes cut into bite size
1 or 2 cloves of garlic sliced...or not
6 large basil leaves, sliced or slivered, i use scissors
3-4 tablespoon's good quality olive oil
1 tablespoon  white balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

stir all the ingredients and set aside at room temperature. do not refrigerate. matter of fact, never refrigerate tomatoes unless they are cooked or dried.

i always try to make this an hour or 2 ahead to let the flavors blend. and i stir while i am preparing the rest of the meal. good bread is essential to dip in the juice!!

it is the height of the corn season in central new york. no more tiny ears with tiny kernels. we are into the meaty ears and it is so sweet this year. we always buy more than we eat and then cut the kernals off the uneaten ears for later use. i use it in soup most of the time but love the corn salad i have been making this year.

cooking corn: steam it or grill it! where i grew up, everyone steams corn. an inch of water in the bottom of the pan and 10 minutes after it comes to a boil it is done. i have seem cooks boiling corn. a real waste of time and energy, really, and it takes so long for all that water to boil. if it can be grilled, it is even better than steamed .

corn salad
3 cups cold corn, cooked and cut off the cob
2 cucumbers, peeled and cut in bite size pieces
1 sweet onion or 1 bunch of green onions chopped
3 tablesoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
8  basil leaves,sliced, slivered or torn
salt and pepper to taste

stir and refrigerate till it is time to serve it...it will be a hit!

ENJOY!

a dish to pass

i have belonged to the same monthly bridge group for 43 years. we start off the season by sharing a meal to catch up after our summer hiatus. each brings a 'dish to pass' and we have a feast. my contribution was:

shrimp and pasta salad

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and de veined ( the already cooked ones will work)
1 pound pasta, ( i used mini fusilli but anything will do)
1 pound petite peas
4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup light ranch dressing
1/2 cup my club sauce (unless you have canned the recipe on this blog, you will have to substitute. use commercial chili sauce or the oriental sweet chili. start with 1/4 cup and add more after tasting. my sauce has a real bite to it so you might want to add red pepper or my personal favorite...tony chachere's creole seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

cook the pasta till it is just underdone, drain and rinse in very cold water, drain well
add lemon juice and olive oil and let it soak in while you mince the celery
add the celery,shrimp and then the dressing and chili sauce and mix well
place the frozen peas in a colander and rinse with hot water till they turn bright green. drain well and add to the mix

refrigerate for several hours. this can even be made a day ahead. if the salad looks dry, add more ranch dressing

enjoy!!