Pretty in Pink: Floral Beet Salad

I had a similar dish at a place called Unforked. But, it was missing a tangy something and just not quite a tasty as it was beautiful.

I think I fixed that. You can, of course, swap out microgreens, mache, or tender lettuces if your little diners are not excited about peppery spring arugula. For the big people, I'd advise keeping the peppery greens. The edible flowers are just fun and you can call it "Forest Princess Salad" or something that might get your little girl to give it a whirl.

For the greens:
2 cups arugula, or lettuces as above
4 sprigs mint leaves
12 or so edible flowers  (really be sure these are edible, a lot of our favorite garden flowers are toxic)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbs. olive oil for drizzle

For the dressing:
Juice of 1/2 lemon plus zest
1/2 cup organic canola mayo
1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
1 small clove garlic
1/4 cup mint leaves chopped
1 tsp. honey or agave, optional

Beets: 4 large or 8 small-to-medium beets, roasted and peeled
Coarse salt to taste

Mix the dressing and chill to marry the flavors. Toss with roasted and peeled beets (see below) and place 1-2 beets on each of four plates, salt to taste. Toss the greens with the lemon and olive oil, reserving the edible flowers for last. Top the beet mixture with the 1/4 of the greens for each plate. Garnish with flowers. Eat while visualizing yourself astride a unicorn prancing through a field of wild flowers. Or while drinking a nice, crisp white wine (big people only).

To roast beet, remove stems and greens, reserving for another use. Wash well. Place in foil. Heat oven to 375. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until tender when pierced. You may want to roast a few beets at a time in the foil packet, for use in other recipes. Remove from oven. When cooled, use a paper towel and "wipe" the peel off the beet.

Pretty in pink: Lemon-mint Beet Hummus

I like hummus. But, I concede to a co-worker that the plain old stuff is, well, rather plain. It's like white paint at the hardware store. Great for ceilings, right, but even better as the base for mixing in pigment to make all the different paint colors imaginable. Whether its decorating, cooking or just life in general, everything is a lot more exciting if you see what they could be instead of what they are not.

By far, my favorite hummus yet is the Sweet Potato Hummus from last fall's chef demo at Powell Gardens. But it's spring, and beets are in season. The deep pink color of this hummus is stunning on a plate with edible flowers, green herbs, and lettuces, or with spring carrots or fennel.

Roasted Beet Hummus

1 medium roasted beet, peeled (roasting instructions below)

1/2 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup tahini paste

Juice of 1 lemon plus zest

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. packed mint leaves

1 small clove garlic

1/3 cup olive oil, plus more if needed

Salt and pepper to taste, start with 1/2 tsp. salt

To roast beet, remove stems and greens, reserving for another use. Wash well. Place in foil. Heat oven to 375. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until tender when pierced. You may want to roast a few beets at a time in the foil packet, for use in other recipes. Remove from oven. When cooled, use a paper towel and "wipe" the peel off the beet.

To make hummus, add all ingredients except olive oil to food processor. Pulse to combine. While the blade is running, drizzle in the olive oil, using a bit more if needed to get the texture you like. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Chill well to let favors marry. Great with a bit if feta cheese on top for serving.