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Beets, Shallots, and Feta with Mixed Greens

Beets, Shallots, and Feta with Mixed Greens

With my recent love for kale salads, I often forget how nice a simple bowl of mixed greens can be.  Add some roasted beets, sautéed  shallots, creamy crumbly feta, a drizzle of  balsamic dijon dressing, and the bowl of mixed greens becomes absolutely divine.  Beets, shallots, and feta with mixed greens is one of my favorite salads to serve when we have company for dinner.

If I’m planning on this salad for the evening meal, I try to make the beets and shallots much earlier in the day and then chill them in the refrigerator.  Covering the beets with foil and adding just a little water when baking creates tender and moist beets while still retaining their flavor and nutrients.  So much of building a salad is personal preference so use your own discretion when it comes to the quantities listed in the recipe.  I enjoy the salty flavor of feta, but too much is overpowering to me so I tend to use less feta than a restaurant might perhaps use.  I especially like the beets with the balsamic dijon dressing so sometimes I use more beets and less greens.  Assembling salads can be such a beautiful thing.

Beets, Shallots, and Feta with Mixed Greens

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Beets, Shallots, and Feta with Mixed Greens
 
Ingredients
Salad
  • 3 medium beets, cleaned and scrubbed
  • 2 cups sliced shallots, about 5 medium shallots
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • 8 ounces mixed greens
  • ½ cup crumbled feta
Dressing
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • pinch of ground black pepper
Instructions
Salad
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Fill a shallow baking dish with ¼-inch of water. Place the beets in the pan and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Insert a knife to test for doneness. If knife does not go in easily, bake for another 15-20 minutes and check again. Allow beets to cool completely.
  2. Peel the cooled beets and cut into ¼-inch slices. Cut each slice into quarters and set aside.
  3. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, salt, and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until shallots are softened and start to turn golden. Allow shallots to cool completely.
  4. In a large serving bowl, layer the mixed greens with the shallots, beets, and feta. Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad, tossing until salad is evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Dressing
  1. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
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Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites

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Happy Labor Day Weekend!  Celebrating with some sprinkle fun today.

A few weeks ago, I came across these gorgeous naturally dyed sprinkles.  Not exactly healthy, but also not filled with lots of artificial colorants so it makes me feel a little better about serving them to my kids.  My poor kids… whenever they see colorful cakes and candy, they ask, “Mom, does this have artificial coloring?  Is this okay for me to eat?”  I have to admit, I am a party pooper when it comes to artificially dyed food.  I am no fun at all.  But!  I just purchased a 2.9 pound container of these sprinkles.  Enough sprinkles to last a lifetime.  I must get cool mom points for that, yes?

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These Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites are no-bake, naturally sweetened, whole-grain, and are the perfect little snack to pack on-the-go or in lunch boxes.  The little bites are filled with the goodness of oats, coconut, flax, wheat germ, raw honey, and almond butter.  Cacao powder gives them a rich chocolate flavor and adds an extra boost of antioxidants.  Sprinkles are completely optional of course, but don’t they add such a glimmer of fun?  I used almond butter, but use any nut butter that you prefer.  I’m going to try a sunbutter version next to keep it nut-free for school.   Using a stand mixer breaks down the oats and gives the mixture a finer texture.  A finer texture helps the sprinkles to adhere better, but feel free to mix by hand, especially if you are leaving off the sprinkles.  From start to finish, the whole batch took me 20 minutes to make.  These are easy, healthy, and deliciously satisfying!

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Rainbow Sprinkle Energy Bites
Serves: makes 15 1¼-inch bites
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup creamy almond butter, peanut butter, or almond butter
  • ⅓ cup raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened flaked coconut, chopped
  • ¼ cup ground flax seed
  • ¼ cup wheat germ
  • 3 tablespoons cacao powder
  • rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
  1. Using a stand mixer, combine the almond butter, honey, and vanilla.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, coconut, flax seed, wheat germ, and cacao powder.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the almond butter mixture and mix together on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined. Shape into balls of desired size and dip in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles to coat. Press lightly on the sprinkles to adhere. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

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Chipotle Chicken with Mango-Tomato Salsa

Chipotle Chicken with Mango-Tomato Salsa | Gather & Dine

Let’s try to squeeze in just a few more summer meals before the season nearly ends.  This chipotle chicken with mango-tomato salsa is a little spicy, a little sweet, and very refreshing.  Sur la Table  was featuring half-off some of their cooking classes and Ryan and I took advantage of it by going on a double date with some friends.  We took the Fresh & Healthy Mexican Cooking class.  To be honest, I really don’t feel like I learn a whole lot about cooking from the cooking classes, but I do feel that the classes are a fun way to gain exposure to new types of dishes and flavors that I don’t usually cook.  Take this chipotle chicken dish for example.  Usually Ryan and I steer clear of dishes that mix savory and sweet, but we loved the combination of flavors in this particular dish.  The sweetness of the mango is a nice contrast to the subtly smoky and spicy chicken and it helps to bring brightness to the whole meal.  Just shows how our tastes evolve and change over time.

The chicken is marinated in a pureed sauce of fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, and a variety of spices.  We did not puree the ingredients into smooth sauce when we made the marinade in class, but I feel that the pureeing step is helpful in getting the marinade to adhere to the meat.  It is important to allow time for the marinade to cool before pouring it over the chicken in order to avoid heating the chicken.  This is a great marinade with or without the mango-tomato salsa, but the salsa really does add an element of complexity to the chicken.  The mango-tomato salsa is also a great summer salsa to enjoy with some tortilla or pita chips.  Serve the chicken with a fresh salad  on the side for a vibrant and healthy meal.

Chipotle Chicken with Mango-Tomato Salsa

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Chipotle Chicken with Mango-Tomato Salsa
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 chipotle chile in adobo, diced
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 3-4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Mango-Tomato Salsa
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
  • ½ medium red onion, peeled and minced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 roma tomatoes, diced
  • ¼ cup minced cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Chipotle Chicken
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute. Add the canned tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces slightly, about 8-10 minutes.
  2. Add the vinegar, honey, cumin, oregano, chipotle pepper, and salt and stir to combine. Continue to simmer over low heat until sauce slightly thickens and reduces by about ⅓, about 15 minutes. Add lime juice and additional salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and cool completely.
  3. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree marinade until smooth.
  4. In a gallon sized ziploc bag, add the chicken and the marinade. Seal the bag tightly and squeeze the bag to evenly coat the chicken with the marinade. Marinate the chicken at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. While meat is marinating, prepare the Mango-Tomato Salsa.
  5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a grill over medium heat. Grill chicken until meat reaches 165 at the thickest part, about 3-4 minutes per side. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes.
  6. Serve with Mango-Tomato Salsa.
Mango-Tomato Salsa
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to gently combine the mango, onion, jalapeño, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
adapted from Sur la Table

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