Roasted Beet and Green Apple Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

By our scientific calculations, less than half of the food Alex and I eat is made from a planned recipe. That leaves at least 55% of our daily meals up to improvisation – that is, combining the random food stuffs we have on hand into something edible. You might think us “by the book” type of people to have come up with a website full of hundreds of recipes. But at our best, we’re playing, tweaking, not-measuring type of people who love the challenge of a Chopped-style refrigerator night.

We have to remind ourselves that simple, tasty recipe-like “ideas” are just as necessary to share here as polished, beautiful ones. This “idea” came about after a trip to our local farmer’s market, where I came back loaded with beets, apples, and salad greens and no idea what to do with them. After roasting the beets for this pink hummus, I noticed leftover honey mustard dressing in the refrigerator from this recipe and hatched an idea to combine them with the apples and greens into a salad. The flavors and textures worked so well together that we had to share.

How many beet fans are out there? I used to avoid them, but now I love the mildly sweet flavor and tender texture. (They’re actually even delicious raw, if you slice them thinly and add a little salt.) If you’re roasting beets, it’s easiest to roast up the whole lot at once and then use them throughout the week in salads and hummus. We haven’t made much with beets on our site, but a favorite is this beet salad with edamame and blue cheese. But I’m partial to that pink hummus!

Roasted Beet and Green Apple Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

 

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by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 4

What You Need

• 2 beets
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 8 cups salad greens
• ¼ cup chopped pistachios

What To Do

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash the beets, then wrap each separately in aluminum foil. Place in a baking dish and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, until tender when pricked with a fork. Cool to room temperature, then slip off the skins with your fingers and slice the beets (be careful to take precautions as the beet juice stains easily!).
2. Make the honey mustard dressing by vigorously whisking together 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard.
3. Thinly slice the apple.
4. To serve, place greens on a bowl or plate. Top with beets, apples, dressing, and pistachios.

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from A Couple Cooks http://ift.tt/1lZ5BW4