Beet, Orange and Arugula salad

I am about to share a deep dark secret…this salad has ginger in it.  Shhhhh.  Don’t tell my mother.  Not her favorite thing in the world.  Not even in the top 500.

Getting her to eat ginger is like getting my dog to take a pill.  Put it in plain sight and it ends up sitting all by itself on an otherwise empty plate.  She is the only one I know who can suck the entire pill pocket off the pill so cleanly you can still read the label on the pill.  My dog, not my mother.   We’ve never tried my mother with a pill pocket.  Yet.

Although it looks like a lot of steps, the beets, nuts and oranges can be prepared in advance and assembly of the salad takes only minutes. The beauty of this salad is that you can make it for two people or twenty-two people quite easily!

Ingredients:

• 3 medium beets (any kind you’d like, red, golden, whatever you can get)
• 2 seedless oranges, I used navel, but whatever is in season will work.
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• olive oil
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces
• 5-6 cups total of arugula and baby spinach mixed

Dressing:

• 2 teaspoons minced shallots
• 3 Tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or agave or honey or whatever sweetener floats your boat.  I would suggest tasting the dressing before adding the sweetener because the orange juice just might make it sweet enough for you, so this ingredient is optional.

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400.
2. Wash the beets, then wrap them separately in squares of tin foil and put them on a lined baking sheet or pan.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until you can pierce them easily with a knife.  (For a quick version, many stores sell packaged, pre-cooked beets)
3. Cool the beets completely (they can be made a day ahead, and kept in the fridge till you are ready to assemble the salad), then slice them into 1/4-1/2″ thick round slices.
4. Meanwhile, trim the rind off of the oranges and slice them into into a little large than 1/4″ slices.  Put the slices on a baking sheet lined with foil, brush them lightly with a little olive oil on the top  and sprinkle half of the ginger lightly over them.
5. Broil on medium for about 2-3 minutes, but keep your eye on them as they can burn quickly.
6. Flip them over, brush with oil, sprinkle with ginger and broil on the other side for 2-3 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.  Can be made the day ahead and refrigerated.
7. To toast the almonds, put them in a dry pan over medium/medium high heat and cook until they become fragrant, stirring occasionally.  Be very careful as they go from fragrant and toasted to burnt in seconds. Cool.  Again, these can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container at room temperature.

To make the dressing:

1. Combine all ingredients in a jar (I save ones from olives, pickles, etc) and shake vigorously.

To assemble the salad:

1. Put the arugula and spinach in a bowl.  Add a little more than half of the dressing and toss to coat.
2. Put the salad on the plate and arrange the beet and orange slices on top.  Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and then sprinkle with walnuts.

**For the cheese lovers, I usually put a bowl of crumbled goat cheese on the side for them to sprinkle on their salads. For the vegans, I put some vegan goat cheese!

Enjoy!