Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad With Goat Cheese & Avocado

This year I decided to become a member of a local CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture in which members support a local farm by purchasing a share of the season's crop. Each week you go pick up your box that is loaded with freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. One of the reasons I decided to try it out is that I spend half my grocery budget on fresh fruits and vegetables so why not give that money to a local farmer in these tough economic times? Living in the "Garden State" I know that once summer hit I would be stopping at the farm stand at least once a week anyway.

The first month of our CSA has been spent experimenting with a lot of new vegetables that I have never ate, much less prepared before. Beets showed up right away and I was stumped. My only experience with beets is as a child eating pickled beets at Easter or at a salad bar. As an adult even the smell of them turned me off. I knew there had to be a more appealing way to prepare them. I came across this recipe from Giada and was so excited to try it. Not only could I use the beets from my CSA but also the fresh arugula and other lettuces I received. I made a few adjustments and this salad turned out amazing. Beets are no longer the enemy!

Adapted from Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 2 meal size salads

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1 tbsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 medium beets, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges
4 cups arugula and other lettuces, torn
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
4 oz, goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk vinegar, shallots and honey to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In another medium bowl, toss the beets with enough dressing to coat. Place them in a foil packet, seal tightly and place on a baking sheet. Roast beets 30 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting until slightly caramelized, shaking them up occasionally, another 25 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.

In a large bowl, toss arugula and other lettuces, hazelnuts and cranberries with the remaining vinaigrette to coat. Mound the salad on plates, arrange beets around the salad. Sprinkle the avocado and goat cheese on top and serve.