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Roasted Beet Salad with Honey-Lavender Dressing
Ingredients:
Salad:
About 6 medium beets (any color, without tops, 2 ¼ lb. total)
About 5-6 oz. spinach leaves / mixed greens / baby swiss chard
½ cup pecans, toasted
8 oz. fresh goat cheese
Optional: 2 baby Chioggia beets, scrubbed and sliced paper thin
Dressing:
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, sliced thin (about ¾ – 1 cup)
1/3 cup honey
½ – 1 t. fresh lavender leaves, minced
2 T. champagne vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 cup safflower or other neutral oil (avocado, grapeseed, etc.)
3-4 T. heavy cream (optional)
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking/casserole pan with foil or parchment. Wash medium beets (it’s OK if they are still wet) and place them into pan. Cover pan tightly with foil and roast 40-60 minutes or until a sharp paring knife slides easily into the thickest part of the beet. (Cooking time will depend on size of beets.) When cool enough to handle, rub off peels with a paper towel or under water. Cut into wedges and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare dressing: Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring until softened and just beginning to turn golden, 2-3 minutes. Add fresh lavender and honey; simmer until lavender is fragrant and turns bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Place champagne vinegar and mustard in a blender, then add honey mixture, a pinch of salt and process until smooth. With machine running, drizzle in safflower/avocado oil until combined. Add optional cream and puree until combined.
Place greens in a large bowl. Add dressing to lightly coat greens, then transfer greens to plates/platter. Add beets to bowl and toss again with a little dressing. Top greens with roasted beets, goat cheese and pecans. Garnish with thinly sliced baby Chioggia beets and serve.
Serves 8.
Lavender Lemonade Ice Pops
Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups water
2 T. packed, fresh lavender blossoms, rinsed … OR … 2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Combine 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup water and lavender in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a simmer. Let stand until cool. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Whisk in the lemon juice and remaining 2/3 cup water.
Pour the mixture into ice pop molds and insert sticks. Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.
To release the pops, dip molds into hot water for a few seconds, then gently pull out.
Makes 6-8 ice pops.
Learn how to make these recipes by watching the cooking class below
