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.

Frozen Strawberry Fluffy Stuff

June is when fresh locally grown strawberries are available in New Jersey. This Spring has been exceptionally warm for us and this frozen dessert is the perfect way to cool down. I made this for Mother's Day and everyone really enjoyed it.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen's Chocolate Celebration magazine

Makes 1 (10-inch) cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 (10 oz.) package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp Frangelico liqueur
Fresh strawberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar and cocoa. Add butter, stir to combine. Spoon mixture into ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine strawberries, cream, and sugar. Beat a medium-high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in liqueur.

Sprinkle 2/3 of flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 10-inch spring form pan. Spoon strawberry mixture over flour mixture. Sprinkle evenly with remaining flour mixture. Cover and freeze over night. Slice and garnish with fresh strawberries to serve.