Dinner for one!

When I was a kid the thought of eating beets made me gag! I remember a jar of them always sitting in the refrigerator, sliced, dark purple and jelly like. Oh how I remembered how my much grandmother and mother loved them but I wouldn't DARE take a sample! I have to admit that it seems that most children growing up in the US of A had this same early experience with the dreaded beet root!

Well....fast forward a good 20 years! I had the luxury of rediscovering my much hated beet in Australia a few years back. It's seems that the Aussies put the root on just about everything! At first I was put off but of course after a few glasses of Shiraz I'll try just about anything.....Whoa! This was not my grandmother's canned beet! I had yellow ones and pink ones and ones that looked like candy canes. I had them roasted, marinated and chilled or blended into a sort of hummus spread. The more dishes I had, the more I like them! My all time favorite combination is a ruby red beet will a creamy chevre. Here's a pretty easy salad I threw together tonight. I was having a mean beet craving! Carlos is working so this was perfect for just me:-) Enjoy! *note* Beets stain everything they touch so be careful!

*GOAT CHEESE AND BEET ROOT SALAD* VEGETARIAN

2-3 small red beets ( I had some leftovers ) perfect for 2 servings

1/4 cup walnuts

1 TB honey

1/4 cup creamy Goat Cheese

organic salad mix

cracked pepper

Sushi Rice Vinegar ( or sub rice wine vinegar mixed with a bit of honey and a dash of salt.)

First, cut off the greens from the beets, scrub under running water but leave skins on. Place in med pot over high heat and bring to boil. Once boiling reduce to simmer and cover for about 25-30 min until you can pierce the beets easily with a knife.

Remove beets from water. Place in colander and run cold water over the hot beets. Start removing the skin ( should be easy ). Dice and place in bowl. Splash about 2 TB sushi vinegar and generously add cracked black pepper. Place in refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour.

During this time mix walnuts in honey and then place on a med skillet. Saute until bubbly and remove from heat. Let cool.

Layer plate with lettuce mix, cold beets, Goat Cheese, walnuts and add cracked pepper. Sprinkle extra vinegar on salad if you desire more dressing