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5 Star Makeover: Beets

February 23 by Priscilla 32 Comments

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Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Balsamic Reduction, 5 Star Makeover

This month’s 5 Star Makeover Challenge is BEETS. Beets are at peak season in the winter months and our challenge is to make them shine in ways you may never have considered. Five Star Makeover is hosted by the lovely and talented Natasha of 5 Star Foodie and Laz, the creative mastermind behind Lazaro Cooks. I’m honored to be a part of this inspiring group of culinary artists and each month I strive to rise to the challenge and still bring you a heart healthy recipe that you can make at home without spending half the day in the kitchen!

As soon as the challenge is announced my mind begins churning, and this month found me trying all sorts of different things with beets. Fortunately, we both like beets – beets can be very polarizing, you either love ’em or hate ’em. My first idea was to put a Russian spin on it – red beets are especially appreciated in Slavic countries – take borscht for instance. Although borscht is important in Russian and Polish cuisines, the Ukraine is frequently cited as its place of origin. But I’ve already posted a borscht – wonderful earthy, sweet flavors from roasted beets with a creative twist (horseradish feta cream). I had to come up with something more original!  An article about Muscovites spending summer weekends at their cottages called dachas in the countryside and the foods for a dacha grilling party led to vodka which led to my mulling a jar of beet infused vodka on my countertop. Easy to make – but definitely an acquired taste. I’ll be concocting a cocktail soon… can’t let good vodka go to waste.

Beet infused vodka

I really wanted to make the most gorgeous beet ravioli that I saw on the Italian Dish for Valentine’s Day, but I don’t have a pasta maker (more experienced pasta makers would roll it out by hand) and I kind of ran out of time – February is a really short month! So I pinned it on my Eat Drink Love board for future inspiration – maybe next Valentine’s Day 🙂

In the end I decided to change up the ubiquitous beet and goat cheese salad and give you not one, but two, twists on it that are simple + seasonal, full of flavor, easy to make, and heart healthy – they’re both gluten free, too. I’m all about seasonal, farm to table, and buying local and I write about/support/promote restaurants that practice this, but it means that I’ve eaten and photographed a lot  of beets on a bed of greens lately. Inspiration for the elegant presentation for my 5 Star Beet Salad goes to That Jew Can Cook – I spied his photograph on one of those food porn sites and found his name amusing. This elegant dish received a call back for my intimate Oscar party for 2 🙂

Five Star Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts, and Balsamic

5 Star Beet Salad

3 medium beets, peeled and roasted

crumbled goat or feta cheese

1/2 cup good quality balsamic vinegar, reduced

1 tablespoon walnut halves or pieces, toasted

fresh thyme leaves and flowers of purple basil or other herb

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Cut tops from beets, reserve for another use. Scrub and peel. Wrap in tin foil, place in an oven proof dish and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

2. Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Heat over med-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 tablespoons and is thick enough to coat a spoon, but not so thick that it can’t be drizzled. Watch carefully so that the sauce does not burn.

3. Using a sharp Sudoku or chef’s knife, cut the sides off each beet, forming a square of about 1 inch. Use the sides to form smaller squares. Sprinkle thyme leaves into the cheese. Place beets on appetizer-size plates topped with a pinch of crumbled cheese, a few nut pieces, and drizzle with balsamic.

Yield: 2 petite appetizer/salad portions

Living in California, we’re fortunate to have an abundance of  fruits, including tropical varieties, and vegetables available year-round – but that’s not the case for a lot of people. Root vegetables and citrus are more accessible and, while warming soups, stews, roasted and braised meats, and comfort foods are the order of the day for those in wintry climes, it’s also a nice change of pace to add a spark of sunshine with a vibrant salsa that dances on your tongue and reassures you that Spring is on the way! Here I combined mellow roasted yellow beets with blood oranges that will put a spring in your step.

Roasted Beet & Blood Orange Salsa

2 yellow beets, peeled and roasted

1 blood orange, supremed*

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Vinaigrette:how to supreme citrus, blood orange segments

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 T. champagne vinegar

1 T. blood orange juice

1 T. honey

1 t. blood orange zest

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Cut tops from beets, reserve for another use. Scrub and peel. Wrap in tin foil, place in an oven proof dish and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

2. While the beets are roasting, supreme* (the French term for sectioning citrus) the blood orange – do this on a plate to retain the sweet juice for use in the vinaigrette. Slice off the top and bottom of the orange so that it’s stable on a cutting board. Using a sharp paring knife or fillet knife cut down along the sides to remove the skin and pith. Use your knife to carefully release each segment from the membrane.

3. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Slice the beets lengthwise and then crosswise to form small cubes. Add the orange segments and gently toss with the vinaigrette. Refrigerate for 30 minute to allow the flavors to meld.

Wonderful served in endive leaves as a salad or paired with fish or chicken as a unique winter salsa.

Yield: 2 cups – 2 to 4 servings as a salad or salsa

All the awe-inspiring beet makeovers will be posted on 5 Star Foodie’s website on Friday, February 24th – take a few minutes to check them out, I guarantee you’ll never look at beets in the same way!

Blood Orange and Yellow Beet Salsa

 

 

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Category Appetizers| Salads| She's Cookin'| Sides| Veggies Tags 5 Star Makeover| beets| blood orange salsa

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 5 Star Foodie

    February 23 at 10:46 am

    The presentation is absolutely gorgeous, an excellent beet salad makeover!

    Reply
  2. [email protected]

    February 23 at 11:32 am

    It’s all completely wonderful. I might be a bit speechless. Everyone has so come to the party on this one.

    Reply
  3. Victoria

    February 23 at 11:52 am

    What a gorgeous presentation for the beet salad! Looks like modern art. Also, the beet salsa looks really cool. At first I thought it was a mango salsa before I realized those were cubes of golden beets. Great contribution to the makeover 🙂

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 23 at 11:17 pm

      Thanks, Victoria – I kind of stressed over this one – the other contributions were so amazing!

      Reply
  4. Faith

    February 23 at 2:10 pm

    You really are an artist, Priscilla! I love how you paired the beets with just a few simple flavors in such a way that the whole dish comes together into something that is not only graceful and elegant, but a perfect harmony of flavors.

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 23 at 11:15 pm

      Coming from a talent such as yourself, I am flattered 🙂 Thank you, Faith.

      Reply
  5. Magic of Spice

    February 23 at 4:34 pm

    The presentation for the beet salad is stunning! And love the flavors, will have to try this out 🙂 And I am loving the flavor as well as textural combinations with the golden beets and blood oranges!
    Everything look delicious, and I am offering my services as a taste tester for that beet vodka cocktail 🙂

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 23 at 11:10 pm

      I will be experimenting with the beet vodka cocktail this weekend – it’s sure to include citrus to tone down the earthy flavor!

      Reply
  6. [email protected]

    February 23 at 8:24 pm

    Great ideas and the middle one so simple yet refined. OK the beet vodka…I have been watching vampire shows all night. But I Would try it lol.

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 23 at 11:07 pm

      Funny you should mention that, Evelyne! Scenes from “True Blood” flashed through my mind as I sipped the vodka 🙂

      Reply
  7. Patty

    February 23 at 10:11 pm

    Gorgeous presentation, I love finding inspiration for an interesting twist on a favorite salad. Thanks for the simple but stunning and delicious recipes;-)

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 24 at 10:52 am

      Thanks, Patty, I find a lot of inspiration on the web, since I spend so much time there 😉 And your site is one of them!

      Reply
  8. [email protected]'s Recipes

    February 24 at 4:45 am

    A gorgeous beet salad. Simple, and elegant!

    Reply
  9. deana

    February 24 at 9:41 am

    Both the recipes are wonderful. I wonder at you guys who do architectural food… it really is wonderfully dramatic. You are lucky to be in California for this… out east we still have nothing growing and it’s cold and damp… those herb flowers just feel like spring! Great dishes.

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 24 at 10:56 am

      Aww thanks, Deanna! This is my first foray into architectural food and I’m very pleased with the result. I also wanted to bring you all a bit of Spring to brighten your day 🙂

      Reply
  10. Gina

    February 24 at 1:10 pm

    Beets of Art! I’d eat two plates of those and not feel a bit guilty. I wanted to get some more blood oranges to work with, but they have already disappeared from around here. Hope fully we will be moved in a couple of weeks and I can get back onto some sort of schedule. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, maybe we will get more of that glorious sunshine.
    -Gina-

    Reply
  11. Terra

    February 24 at 7:33 pm

    I am in love with blood oranges, and I am in love with golden beets!!! I never thought to put them together, but that really does so amazing!!! Gorgeous, Hugs, Terra

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 26 at 2:40 pm

      Hi, Terra 🙂 You would love this salsa/salad then!

      Reply
  12. Sanjeeta KK

    February 24 at 9:06 pm

    Oh..I love those square beets..mama and the baby! Awesome clicks and what refreshing recipes. Need to check out other beet creations.

    Reply
  13. Bren

    February 26 at 11:57 am

    Lovely, lovely work, Priscilla. I love everything about it. It looks like nice frozen beet cubes! I wonder how that’d come out actually. And I’m loving the salsa… another winner. I think we all appreciate your creatively and artistic approach!

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      February 26 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks so much, Bren. I’m flattered by your compliments and honored to be part of such a creative group!

      Reply
  14. Laz

    February 27 at 5:42 am

    Marvelous dish. Beets really shine here. Love the composition and presentation of your dish.

    5 Star all the way.

    Great job.

    Reply
  15. Lora @cakeduchess

    February 27 at 5:56 pm

    5 star beet salad is just fabulousss! I adore beets and would love a plate right now for a late dinner:)xx

    Reply
  16. Carolyn

    February 28 at 2:43 am

    Nope, I just can’t love beets…although yours are so beautifully presented!

    Reply
  17. Jamie

    February 28 at 4:49 am

    Priscilla, gorgeous! Wow! You’d even get me and my sons eating beets with this. Just beautiful! And I love the Salsa, too. You are so talented!

    Reply
  18. Lori Lynn

    February 29 at 8:45 am

    Simple elegance. I am stealing this presentation! And pinning it on my new Pinterest board, I just started yesterday, so fun!
    The salsa sounds amazing too. Great addition to the Cooking Group challenge Priscilla!
    LL

    Reply
  19. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    February 29 at 11:30 am

    Both of your recipes look and sound delicious. Most definitely will be making both of them. Love the presentation of the beet salad…stunning. I’m looking forward to returning to your blog.

    Reply
  20. Nancy

    March 1 at 3:32 pm

    What a fantastic makeover Priscilla! I’m going to pin it so I can come back for the recipe. Thanks for participating in the YBR! Have a great weekend.

    Reply
  21. Jill Mant~a SaucyCook

    March 2 at 4:42 pm

    Just amazing!! Not sure whether it should be eaten or preserved and put on a pedestal in a museum for amazing looking culinary delights. I already pinned it!

    Reply
  22. Peggy

    March 21 at 2:02 pm

    This is definitely worthy of 5 stars!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    February 13 at 8:49 pm

    […] Five Star Beet Salad by She’s Cookin […]

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  2. 25 Beet Recipes and are Red Beets an Aphrodisiac? – Spinach Tiger | Appliance Repair says:
    February 14 at 4:36 am

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