Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I like to serve this bright, rich, delicious salad around the holidays as a side to cut through all the heavy dishes that we all love to indulge in. This is a great way to balance out any meal and it’s also an easy dish to make that will elevate all of your gatherings. I love to pair this dish with Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec.

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 min

Total Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

Marinated Beets

• 3 large beets, scrubbed clean

• 1 medium jalapeño

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Salt and pepper

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoons agave syrup

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup olive oil

Salad

• 1 bunch fresh kale, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 bag baby arugula

• 4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

• Dressing

• Salt and fresh ground pepper

• Marinated beets

• ½ cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

• 8 oz goat cheese

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Trim roots and stems from beets. Coat the beets and jalapeño with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper, then place on the lined baking sheet.

3. Roast the beets and jalapeño for 30 minutes. Remove the jalapeño from the baking sheet and set aside to use in the dressing. Turn the beets over. Continue roasting for another 5 to 10 minutes or until they are fork tender (Note: they may not need additional cooking if the beets are on the smaller side.) Remove the beets from the oven and let cool.

4. While the beets are roasting, make the dressing: once the jalapeño is cool enough to handle, remove seeds and mince. In a bowl, whisk vinegar, lime juice, Dijon mustard, agave syrup, garlic and jalapeño. Then, slowly drizzle olive oil into the mixture, whisking constantly, until dressing is fully combined. Set aside 3 tablespoons for the beets, the rest of the dressing should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before serving.

5. Peel the skins from the beets and cut into 1 inch cubes. Marinate with three tablespoons of the dressing and let rest in a covered bowl for approximately 30 minutes.

6. In a large salad bowl combine the arugula, kale and cilantro and toss with some of the dressing. Lightly season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the marinated beets, pepitas and goat cheese. Serve immediately.