Roasted Beet Salad

DAY 2:

Well, I made it through Day Uno without strangling anyone, and only one or two minor hiccups in the way of food.

My first mistake was miscalculating the amount of creamer I use in my coffee.  To be fair, I drink a lot of coffee, probably 5-6 cups a day (cups being the actual measurement, not the number of mugs which usually measure out to 1.5-2 cups).  I never measure the creamer, instead opting to pour until the color of the coffee is light enough shade to meet my approval.  Assuming I use one serving of creamer per cup, at 30 calories a serving, I'm looking at 150-180 calories in coffee alone. 

That being said, I'm giving up coffee.

It's going to be hard, and I'm making this declaration without knowing for sure how I'm going to function on my first night shift sans caffeine, but these are empty calories that I need to say bye-bye to.  And since I can't tolerate black coffee (hello... I have the taste buds of a six-year-old), I have to say goodbye to all of it.

I also failed my first peer-pressure obstacle.  Ok, not really in that dramatic sense, but more like how I stopped by the elementary school my mother works at and came in contact with a jar of freshly made salsa.  Not just any salsa, but 'Ellen's Salsa'.  This stuff is legendary and even though Ellen gave me the recipe for it years ago, I refuse to make it because it's not 'Ellen's Salsa'.  I don't know if that makes any sense, but long story short, it's not the same and I wait patiently all summer for that jar.  And, the tortilla chips I inhale along with it.  My mind played tricks on me, one side telling me to stay strong while the other convinced me that this was a once-a-year kind of thing and I should splurge, just this once.  That side won.

Thankfully, I managed to keep myself from annihilating the whole jar, opting for one serving of chips and salsa instead of the four or five I really wanted. 

 The rest of the day went much better.  I cooked some chicken because chicken is pretty much my whole life now.  I made my dog some homemade treats using a recipe I'll be sharing later this month (in honor of Tundra's 2nd birthday).  I exercised in the form of a brisk walk and a pathetic attempt at a yoga-pilates combo DVD I'm trying.  I'm sure hoping that this workout gets a little easier as I get stronger because... wow.  I felt like a putz, and no doubt looked like one, too.  Balance and coordination need some major work. 

Overall, for my first day, I think I did 'OK'.  I can see where major improvements need to be made, but hopefully, chronicling my experiences will help me fix my mistakes with time. 

Now, onto the food...

Beets are not something we ate regularly in my family.  By that, I mean not at all.  Never.  Up until last year, I didn't even know I liked beets.  And honestly, since I've only ever had them roasted, we still can't be sure I like them in their purest form.  I do know, however, that I love them in this form: roasted and served with crumbles of bleu cheese and toasted walnuts. 

And then, there's the roughage to consider.  You could most certainly use spinach or arugula, as I've seen some other salads do.  But me?  I've got three months of spinach and arugula consumption in my future, so... no.  Plus, I'm a firm believer in using all parts of the plant or animal in my cooking.  Waste not, right?

So, my tender, juicy, reddish - color that should not naturally occur in nature but totally does - beets are nestled on top of their own greens.  The result? 

Not your typical salad, that's for sure.











Roasted Beet Salad

6 beets
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup bleu cheese crumble
1/4 cup walnuts, whole
2-3 cups beet greens


Preheat oven to 375F.

Quarter the beets and place them on aluminum foil.  Drizzle with the olive oil and season to taste.  Close aluminum foil around beets and place on a baking sheet. 

Roast for 45-55 minutes.  Let cool.

In a dry pan, toast walnuts over medium heat until fragrant.  Remove from heat and cool.  Give walnuts a rough chop.

Place beet greens in large serving bowl.  Add the beets, balsamic vinaigrette, walnuts and bleu cheese.  Toss lightly, coating everything with vinaigrette without breaking apart the bleu cheese crumbles.  You may wish to add those after everything's mixed together.