Golden Beet Vinaigrette

My five and seven year old children are pretty adventurous eaters. The more peculiar the food, the more likely the older one is to try it. Last night she finished a bowl of pasta with sea urchin (uni). The younger will make assumptions that she doesn’t like a food before trying it. For instance, she’s previously stated she doesn’t like olives, but when snuck into her food she changes her tune. I feel like this sentiment is fairly universal. One will default to “not liking” something without even trying it due to preconceived notions. We always encourage Big and Little B & B to sample as many different foods as possible, and if they refrain after trying it, we won’t push it. One way I’ll introduce new foods is to transform an ingredient into something more approachable. For someone that has never tried beets, this golden beet vinaigrette is a great way to serve the vegetable in a stealthy fashion.

I feel like beets get a bad rap. They fit into the “don’t like” category for many people because they’ve tried the dull canned ones served at salad bars. But these don’t do the beet justice! It’s a really versatile root vegetable that can be used in many different applications. Beets are even great raw as a shredded salad with herbs and a simple lemon vinaigrette.  So last week when I decided to have some fun composing a vegetable and fruit appetizer, I developed this golden beet vinaigrette as an alternative way to add beets to the dish. I chose the golden beet both for color and flavor. In addition to the deep yellow color, golden beets are often sweeter and less earthy than red varieties. I’ve heard people complain they don’t like the earthy flavor of beets, but this varies between the different varieties.

As you can see from the photos, the dish I made was not a typical salad but the vinaigrette can and should be used to dress salad greens. For the salad consider adding cheese like goat or blue. I also love beets with nuts, especially hazelnuts. Combining beets with fruits invariable leads to good results too. So next time you’re lo0king for a different spin to your salad, try this simple beet vinaigrette.