Health food salad!

I love healthy food and I love cooking- but you probably know that already.  It is nothing but brown, black, gray and blue in Denver with not a thing growing in anyone's garden but who says there aren't beautiful fruits and vegetables to eat!  This beautiful colorful- full of antioxidants salad is delicious.  I started with raw beets- red, orange and chioggia and carrots and shredded them in my $15 slicer from Williams-Sonoma.  Then I found blood oranges, naval oranges and mangoes.  I did have some little limes growing indoors so added lime juice, blood orange juice and pomegranate vinegar- oh and a little olive oil for dressing- oh and a little orange zest.  As if it weren't pretty and healthy enough already I added some dried cranberries.  Try it!

Pretty January salad

beets and carrots

Blood oranges, mango, key limes and navel oranges

Beet salad with blue cheese and walnuts

Beet salad, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Final destination: a lovely yellow beet salad. I think I have posted this recipe before but here goes again:
roasted beets, sliced about 1/4 inch
blue cheese, crumbled
walnuts, toasted
greens, tossed in Balsalmic vinegar and olive oil, save a little to add to the top of beets.
Bon Appetit!

Beet red, Hyacinth blue, Kaminski purple

Color mixing is no less fun at 61 than at 5 or 6.  Subtle additions of one color to another or adding brown, black or gray can make just the right shade.  This was fun and challenging.  The fun part was actually painting the beet with beet juice.

Roasted orange beet salad

beet salad
Originally uploaded by cabanagirl

with maple toasted walnuts and goat cheese on a bed of baby lettuces dressed with Balsalmic vinegar and good olive oil

maple toasted walnuts: Dry toast nuts in a small frying pan. Add maple syrup. I used about 1 teaspoon for 1/4 cup nuts. Stir until all nuts are coated and then turn off the heat.

Try this fresh and hearty salad. Try the orange beets