Being able to cook for friends and family is a way of sharing part of myself and one of the ways I show love. It is one of my favorite things to do.  So, when I was invited to a dinner party recently, and I asked my friend what I could bring. He said, “make something delicious.” Game on!

I love a good beet salad. There is something so satisfying about the way all of the different flavors and textures come together. The arugula adds some subtle spice, the goat cheese is mellow and smooth, the nuts add some crunch and salt, the vinaigrette some zest and the beets complete everything in such a unique way. If you haven’t had a beet salad, I suggest you try this recipe. It is excellent!

I searched for a while before settling on this specific recipe from Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa. It was super fun to make. Especially when my fingers looked like I butchered an animal as I was peeling the roasted beets. I shopped around for some good locally sourced organic beets. I found them at the food co-op in Rochester called Abundance. They were awesome! I roasted them exactly the way the recipe suggested and they came out great!

I bought organic arugula at Wegmans and used all organic products to make the dressing. I would say it came out pretty damn good!

Click here for the complete recipe.

Another great thing about using fresh beets is that you can cook and serve the greens as a delicious side dish. I used the recipe linked here.

Let me know what you think!