Thursday, May 24, 2012

Beet and Microgreens Salad


I like adult food as much as the next Mom. Sometimes, I just have to channel my inner five-year-old to get the kid to enjoy adult food as much as I do.  Hot pink adult food, with tiny, little perfect lettuces and fluffy goat cheese. Otherwise known as roasted beet dressing with microgreens if you want to be mature about it. Where's the fun in that?

Beets are still hit and miss for the kiddo, unless I am Dan Barber, but that's a different story. I'll get to that. Back to reality here. The kid eyes her hot pink salad with skepticism. I see this.

"You know what? If you eat a lot of beets, it will be red when you have to 'go.'" Intrigued look. "Plus, look at this!" I stick my tongue out, my bright, bright pink tongue. "Cool, huh?"

Yes, yes I am, like, five years old sometimes. I'm okay with this. The kid powers down a huge bite of beet and beet dressing.

"Mmmm." She likes it. My work is done. Except for a few more rounds of comparing how pink our tongues are.

Beet Dressing with Microgreens

3 medium beets, stems removed, washed, roasted as below

Dressing ingredients:
1/4 cup white balsamic vingar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbs. Dijon mustard (or honey, if you have picky kids)
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad Greens:
2 cups microgreens
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tsp. olive oil
dash salt and pepper
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the washed beets in foil and wrap well. Roast for about 60 minutes, until fork tender. When cool, rub beets with paper towel and skins slip off easily. You can do this step the day before and refrigerate the beets.

Place one beet in the blender with the the other dressing ingredients. Blend on high until it is an awesome, creamy, smooth and hot pink mixture. Chill. The dressing, that is, for a couple hours.

Before dinner, assemble salads by gently tossing the microgreens with lemon and olive oil, salt and pepper. Plate by putting 1/3 cup greens on a plate, a nice swath of beet dressing alongside it. Add 1/3 of a beet, sliced per plate. And garnish the beets with goat cheese.

Serves six adults who act like five year olds.

2 comments:

Lilah said...

Did you really get your kids to eat this? Although I think it looks scrumptious I am pretty sure my children would not eat it - unfortunately...
http://www.growingmicrogreens.com

ExpatChef said...

Actually, yes! My kiddo did eat it. Keep in mind she's had a steady menu of vegetables put in front of her since her first day on solid foods. It takes time, but by using adventure and fun and sometimes even odd facts about foods (beeturia, asparagus pee) you can get kids to join the fun.