Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

Roasted Beet Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette is a vibrant, flavor-packed salad that makes eating healthy fun! Who says salad has to be boring?

Serves: About 4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
• 1½ tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1½ teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the salad:

• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1 medium golden beet
• 1 medium purple beet
• 2 blood oranges (1 for the salad, and half of one for the dressing)
• 4 clementines or 1 medium navel orange
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, both white and green parts
• half a fennel bulb, thinly sliced (optional)
• ½ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
• ½ cup toasted walnuts

Instructions

Roast the beets:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the tops from the beets and wrap the beets separately in foil to prevent the golden beets from turning purple. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beets are tender.
2. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove from foil and rub with a towel to remove the skins. Cut in half from top to bottom, and slice into ¼” wedges. Set aside.

Prepare the vinaigrette:

1. Place the blood orange juice, vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk till combined. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Prepare the salad:

1. Slice the tops and bottoms off of the clementines and blood oranges, and working from the top to bottom, cut off the peels and as much of the white pith as possible. Turn sideways and slice the oranges gently, then cut into quarters. Alternatively, you can segment the orange slices. Place in a bowl until ready to use.
2. Place the baby spinach in large bowl. Add the golden beets, oranges, green onions, fennel, and cheese, and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat. Toss the purple beets with a bit of the vinaigrette, and gently add to the salad just before serving.* Top the salad with the walnuts, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

*I like to add the purple beets at the last minute to prevent the salad from turning purple!
The beets can be roasted in advance, cooled, and stored in an air tight container for up to one week. I like to roast an entire bunch at once, and store them in the fridge for various recipes during the week.