HORTA SALAD WITH SAUTÉED BEET GREENS

Greens are called "horta" in Greek. This is a horta salad of boiled and sauteed greens, that I love to serve while still warm. It's very tasty! 

The leaves of the beet plant have a welcome and unique flavour and can be used on their own to make a wonderful salad. They are green with red stems and they resemble chard, which by the way is a relative of the common beet. 

   Bright beet greens. They make a wonderful horta salad!

Most people prefer to eat the sweet root of the beet plant, therefore they cut off and discard the leaves. Next time, save the leaves, give them a good rinsing with cold water, and turn them into this healthy, quick to make, Lent appropriate, low-calorie salad. 

The leaves are blanched for a few minutes and then are sautéed in olive oil. It's a simple salad which makes an excellent lunch.

Ingredients:

about 2 bunches of beets
2 cloves of garlic, chopped well
1 shallot, chopped very well
salt and pepper to taste

a pinch of oregano
lemon juice to taste
olive oil

Directions:

• Cut the leaves from the beets, and reserve the beets for another purpose. The beetroots have a long life if stored in the refrigerator, but the leaves need to be cooked soon after the beets are bought.
• Slice the leaves into pieces about one inch in length and rinse them well.
• Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and add the greens. Cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to get tender.  
• Using a slotted spoon transfer the leaves into a bowl filled with ice and cold water. Blanch them for about 2 minutes so that they can retain their bright green colour. 
• Drain the greens and dry them on paper towels so that they don't spatter while being sauteed.  
• In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and saute the shallot until it starts to soften.  
• Add the pinch of oregano and the garlic, stir, then add the greens. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes. Stir well so that all the flavours blend together. 
• Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the greens on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Drizzle some olive oil on and around the greens and serve along with extra lemon wedges.

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Mint, and Mustard Vinaigrette

Beets! This root vegetable makes a delicious and nutritious salad, especially in fall and winter. Boiling is the most common way of cooking beets for salad. However, beets are messy to boil. The solution is to bake them and also to arrange parchment paper on the baking dish so that it's easier to clean. You can combine the greens to be used and you could also add pistachios to the salad. The beets go really well with walnuts and the goat cheese goes well with pistachios. You could also add feta or substitute the goat cheese for feta. Enjoy putting the salad together. Make it yours!

Ingredients:

3 beets 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
white balsamic vinegar

lemon juice
some dried oregano

some walnuts, roasted

mint leaves

goat cheese, cut in bite-sized pieces

arugula or lettuce or both

one small, red onion -- slice and place in a bowl of cold water, then place the bowl in the refrigerator until it's time for the onions to go on top of the beets. This way, the onions will have a very nice crunch.

Directions:

• Slice the onion and place the slices in a bowl of cold water, then place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave it there until it's time for the onions to go on top of the beets. This way, the onions will have a very nice crunch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
• Cut off the leaves and wash the beets. Peel them and cut them in half.  
• Choose a baking dish with a cover and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Add the beets and the garlic, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil, cover and bake for about forty minutes until the beets are soft.
• Take them out of the oven and let them cool until they can be handled. Discard the garlic pieces and cut the beets into slices. 
• Make a vinaigrette using Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dried oregano, white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  
• Toss the beets with the dressing, cover them and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• When ready to serve, take the onions out of the refrigerator and drain well. 
• Arrange some arugula or lettuce on a serving platter and top these greens with the beet/vinaigrette mixture. 
• Decorate the salad with chopped mint leaves, goat cheese, sliced cold red onions, and some chopped roasted walnuts.