This is my new favorite salad. All thanks goes to Giada for this one! A testament to the goodness of this recipe is that I only altered one thing, which is rare for me ;-) Its funny that I'm so obsessed with this dish because I'm not a huge fan of beets. Something about their soft texture and sweetness never appealed to me, but after reading the ingredients for this salad and roasting the beets, I love them! The presentation of this salad is beautiful because it is so colorful with the green arugula, purple beets, white feta and green avocado! Everyone who's tried this recipe has really loved it, so I REALLY recommend this one :)
Ingredients
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-7 ounce package of arugula (I've also made this with mixed baby greens)
-1/3 cup cranberries
-1/3 cup diced walnuts
-1 large beet, peeled, boiled, and sliced (I'm sure you can use canned, but I haven't tried it)
-1/2 cup feta cheese, I used a Mediterranean seasoned type(Giada uses goat cheese, but I can't stand goat, so I use feta)
-1 sliced avocado (Giada uses only 1/2 of one)
Dressing
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-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/3 cup olive oil
-1 tablespoon honey
-Salt and pepper to taste
-3 tablespoons shallots (about 1 medium sized shallot). If this is hard for you to locate, red onions are a good substitute
To make
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-Mix 1-2 tablespoons of dressing with beets. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. I've used my toaster oven for this to avoid preheating the oven, and it worked great.
-In a serving bowl, mix the arugula with cranberries and walnuts. Toss with dressing.
-Layer the beets on top of the arugula, then layer the cheese and avocados.
-Serve and savor every bite as you enjoy this scrumptious salad!
I tried 3 different places and couldn't find shallots, arugula, nor mediterranian feta. I used regular feta, baby spinach, and a red onion. The beets took forever to cook so I ended up using canned instead. And then I thought I had dried cranberries, but I was wrong. It was still good! but I'm gonna have to try this one again with all the correct ingredients.
ReplyDeleteWow...how sad, lol, all this drama for a salad! Thanks for the honest post :)
ReplyDeleteIf arugula is that difficult to find I'd stick with baby greens. The med. feta is not critical at all. Red onions are as close to shallots as it gets...so overall, not bad!
Come visit and I'll make it ;-)
My all time favorite salad! I am not a salad person but this one ALWAYS hits the spot! I always make it when I have guests. Always a success!
ReplyDelete-Meemo
This is the ultimate salad. My guests are always so impressed at the combination of ingredients and how well they go together...good job switching out the goat cheese for feta!
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