Golden Beets Fennel Grapefruit Salad with Cumin-Fennel Seed Dressing

10. July 2014 Vegetables + Salads 0

We skipped spring this year here in New York City and went directly to tropical summer. It’s so hot and humid right now that I can’t recommend turning your oven on, but when alas, I did, because I can’t help but eat beets. I roasted 2 bunches of beets and refrigerated them to make 3 different salads in a span of a week.

Here’s one that I loved so much because the dressing is not your typical olive oil-vinegar dressing. The cumin stood out here as an unexpected taste because it looks like a regular salad. Goes to show that it’s not always about the main ingredients sometimes.

Ingredients:
4 small golden beets, peeled and cut into wedges
olive oil
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cumin seeds, grounded
1 tsp fennel seeds, grounded
mache, or any mixed greens
1 grapefruit, peeled and sliced
1/2 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
salt and pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 425º. Toss the beet wedges with some olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Spread them on a baking dish and roast until tender, about 25 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar and the maple syrup. Add the cumin and fennel seeds. When the beets come out of the oven, toss them with some of the dressing. There should be some olive oil coating the beets. If not, drizzle a little more olive oil.
3. Assemble your salad. In a salad bowl, toss greens with the grapefruit and fennel slices, and then the dressed beets. Drizzle some more of the red wine vinegar-maple syrup dressing all over for a little sheen. Season with some pepper and serve.