Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

If you love beets, you'll absolutely adore this salad. The sweet, earthy flavor of the beet is front and center. Besides the time it takes to roast the beets, the salad is quick to assemble and makes an excellent side dish in any meal.

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Ingredients

• 3 or 4 medium beets
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 to 5 tablespoons water
• ¾ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 to 4 ounces of goat cheese

Directions
To roast the beets

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wash and scrub the beets. Slice off a small portion of the top or bottom of each beet, so the beets sit on the flat surface of the baking dish without falling over. If you want the beets to cook more quickly, cut the beets in half.
3. Place the beets in a medium-sized baking dish. Add the water to the baking dish and cover the dish loosely with foil.
4. Cook the beets for 45 minutes or until tender.
5. Let the beets cool and then peel and cut them into bite-size chunks.

To assemble the salad

1. Mix the beets, avocado, cilantro, onion, and pumpkin seeds in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Drizzle the red wine vinegar and olive oil over the salad and mix.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Sprinkle the goat cheese and top of the salad. Toss and serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 45 minutes to cook the beets and 15 minutes to prep the salad
Adapted by Megan Wellman from Sauvie Island Organics Farm Blog at www.sauvieislandorganics.com/blog/?p=2790, author Katherine Deumling, 2013.