Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Beet Salad with Couscous







Happy Wednesday, internet friends!

I was having a little trouble deciding what to make for this week's recipe. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired, and didn't have anything specific in mind. I was nursing a bit of a karaoke related hangover yesterday, so that may have contributed to my lack of ideas. So, I went to the store to look around and get a little inspiration. Cruising through the produce department, I spotted some gigantic beautiful beets, about the size of large grapefruits. 

Seriously, look at these gorgeous bastards:

Beets are one of my absolute favorite vegetables, and I always describe them as dirt candy. (There was a girl on Iron Chef America recently who has a restaurant by that name, cementing my suspicion that there is truly nothing that hasn't already been thought of by someone else.) Anyhow, I love the earthy, dirty, sweet flavor of beets and I would basically eat them any which way. Maybe I'll finally try pickling some this summer - stay tuned! When I got home from the store, I was still sort of struggling with what to actually make with them, so I did the best thing one can do in these situations and just looked through what I already had in my fridge and pantry. I love doing this - it's like your own mini version of Chopped. I had some couscous in the cupboard (this salad would also be good with quinoa, which is what I wanted to make, but tragically, was out), and an onion and mint in the fridge. I settled on a nice couscous and roasted beet salad, and sent the ever supportive and amazing Dallas back out to the store to pick up some citrus, feta, a sweet potato, and a diet coke. The coke isn't necessary for the recipe ;).

This salad is really along the lines of what I cook on a regular basis, it's easy, healthy, and you get to sit down while the veggies and couscous are cooking so it's great to make after work! It also tastes great hot or cold, and makes nice leftovers to take to work throughout the week.

Here's the recipe, I hope you all enjoy!

Couscous and Roasted Beet Salad with Three Citrus Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad:
  • Two large beets. I used one golden and one purple
  • One large sweet potato
  • One quarter of a white onion, sliced
  • One half cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • One cup couscous, cooked to package directions
Dressing:

  • Juice and zest of a lemon, lime, and orange
  • 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Mint, Julienned (just means to cut into thin strips)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Wash and peel the beets and sweet potato, and cut into aprox. 1-inch cubes.
  3. Place all your root veggies into an oven safe dish along with the onion. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Place into the preheated oven, and roast for about a half hour, or until tender and slightly charred around the edges.
  5. While the veggies are in, cook your couscous according to the package. I usually just throw mine in the rice cooker.
  6. Next prepare the dressing. Zest the orange, lemon, and lime, and squeeze out all that delicious juice. Add salt, pepper, and paprika, and then whisk it all together while slowly drizzling in the olive oil.
  7. Now all you have to do is let it all cool down a little bit, and mix it all together. (and eat it!)

Thanks for checking me out once again, and in conclusion:

 














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