we got the beet

I’m interrupting my Hawai’i series of posts because, well, I just feel like keeping you on the edge of your seat anxiously awaiting more tales of my grand island adventure. I’ll get to the volcano part tomorrow. That’s right, I said ‘volcano’, so now I KNOW you’re sure to come back.

Here’s the real reason for this post. I am a derrrn good cook and I want you to know it. I’m looking you right in the eye and telling you right now… I’m good. Honey’s super lucky, and I remind him allllll the time. Watch your back, Rachael Ray.

So lately I’ve been trying to commit myself to regular good cookin’. It’s been so helpful to begin menu planning and organizing my kitchen as well, but we’ll chat about all that later. The truth is, I really enjoy being in the kitchen (and someday I’ll actually have a real one) and I especially enjoy eating, so it all works out in my favor. Plus, when I cook, Honey does the dishes. Double score.

So now, I present to you, my very first recipe post. It’s a super easy one and I didn’t exactly come up with the concept (we all know it) even though I should’ve because I’d love to take full credit for this gem, but I know that once you make it you’re going to be thanking me for it anyway and gifting me your first born or something insane like that. So, you’re welcome, and don’t worry, you can keep your baby.

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad (with candied walnuts and feta cheese)

What you’ll need:

• Bunch o’ beets
• Baby arugula
• Red onion
• Feta cheese (I use the kind with sun-dried tomatoes because YUM!)
• Raw walnut halves
• Sugar

(See. Totally easy right?)

Part One: Roast the beets

First things first. You’ve gotta roast those beets. Don’t worry, it’s easy. Would I make you do something hard? No… because then I’d have to explain it and I don’t explain hard.

-Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

-Remove the greens and tops of your beets and scrub those bad boys.

-Lay a sheet of foil on a baking sheet and tightly wrap your beets in the foil (I like to drizzle olive oil on them before I wrap.)

-Depending on the size of your beets, they can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour or more to roast. I typically check mine at 30 minutes and decide from there. Just poke them with a knife. They’ll be ready when the knife meets no resistance.

-Once your beets have roasted and cooled, use a paper towel to literally wipe away the beet skins then cut them up just the way you like them. This is my favorite part. Get your hands beet red! It’s tons of fun.

Now that that’s done…

Part Two: Candy the walnuts

Now this part is optional. I like my walnuts candied AND uncandied. Whatever floats your boat.

-Lay 1 1/2 cups of raw walnut halves on a baking sheet. In the oven (with the beets), bake your walnuts for 5 minutes. If they don’t seem toasted after 5 minutes, let them toast a minute or two longer but be careful not to burn them! Remove and let cool.

-Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a thick saucepan and cook over medium heat. Continuously stir the sugar with a wooden spoon until it has melted and turned a medium amber color.

This is the part where you have to work fast. I learned the hard way.

-Once the sugar has melted and turned an amber color, quickly add the walnuts and stir. Make sure to coat the walnuts well. Immediately spread the sugar-coated walnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use two forks to separate them if you need to and let them cool completely.

Part Three: The salad

Finally! The salad part. You’ve roasted your beets, you’ve candied your walnuts (if you wanted to, of course), now you’re that much closer to treating your tastebuds.

This part is pretty self explanatory, right?!

-Arrange your baby arugula the way you fancy it.

-Drop a few lovely beets onto that arugula bed.

-Sprinkle your desired amount of feta cheese (because my desired amount of feta is, quite frankly, something I should be ashamed of).

-Slice a few slivers of red onion. Add those too.

-Garnish with your desired amount of walnuts.

And ABRACADABRA! You’ve done it! Hooray!

As for my dressing, I’m a cheater and I use Hendrickson's Sweet Vinegar and Oil salad dressing because it is honestly the best stuff to ever grace the sweet face of the Earth. You can one-up me if you want and make your own dressing because this one is basically made up of only sweet vinegar and oil, but I just can’t make it the way Hendrickson’s makes it and it’s worth the $3. If you do happen to create a great dressing for your beet salad, don’t leave a homegirl hangin’, please share!!

Enjoy!