I know that beets are really considered an Autumn root veggie, but I don’t care. I love them year round, and they are one of my favourite ingredients for a simple, satisfyingly gorgeous summer salad.

As it turns out, I am particularly smitten with heirloom beets. Their rainbow {or partial rainbow} of colours and slight variations on earthy-sweetness just make me happy. They also happen to be amazingly good for the liver, so if you need a virtuous reason to eat them, there you have it. Detox away. For me, they fall into the category of “a food I love that also happens to be good for me.” My liver can go ahead and soak up all the health benefits it wants while I’m busy just paying attention to how good they taste. It really is a win-win.

Having picked up a lovely bag of heirlooms at the market last weekend, I decided to make one of my favourite summer {or any season, really} salads and share it with you today.

I started by giving them a quick wash and cutting the tops and bottoms off and then roasting them in a 375˚F oven for an hour or so. I then let them cool and peeled the skins off. {Quite easy to do once they’ve cooled. Some chefs go the extra mile and throw them in a paper bag while they are still hot so the steam helps loosen the skins. I don’t find I ever need to do that. Saving the trees, one paper bag at a time.}

Next I chopped them roughly into 1/2″-1″ chunks. {Don’t you love my über-beautiful cutting board? I so need to replace this one with something gorgeous and thick and wooden. I know, not so tree-saving as my paper bag measures, but I promise I’d keep it forever and a day.}

Next I quickly whisked up a simple dressing…

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
s + p

…and then tossed the beets in some of the dressing so they were beautifully coated.

I didn’t use all the dressing on the beets but saved some for when I added them to the greens. I suppose you could just toss the beets and greens together with the dressing all at once, but I find tossing them in a bit of the dressing on their own first helps them separate and get more even distribution through the salad once it’s all mixed together. I added in some freeze-dried salad herbs {these are amazing but I can only get them in Quebec!} as I have neglected my fresh herbs to the point that there is very little to harvest from my wee little kitchen garden. Oops.

Next, another favourite food that also happens to be good for me. I adore avocado. Creamy, rich, satiating and all-around amazing. It’s a staple in my kitchen for sure. And it’s also loaded with antioxidants, cartenoids, fibre, folate and heart-healthy fats that can help stabilize your blood sugar. Total super food. Totally delicious.

I just sliced a quarter of one up and added it to the plate, topped the salad with three chunky slices of herbed goat cheese {I love me some chévre!} and voilà! A simple and delicious {and not-so-secretly really good for you} summer salad.

Bon apetit!

I hope you enjoy a fabulous summer weekend coming up, friends. I know we will! We are cottage bound and beyond excited for it. Lifelong friends; the soul-restoring inspiration of natural beauty; time to do nothing but read, relax, swim, eat, talk, laugh and repeat. It’s the stuff summer dreams are made of!

xo
s.