Orange Scented Beet Salad

Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds beets (about 6 medium or 1 to 2 bunches) 3, 3-inch long slices orange peel, zested, plus 2 teaspoons of orange zest strips for garnish 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 3 large slices orange zest 2 tablespoons brown sugars 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 green onions, sliced 4 cups spicy greens, washed and dried (Nussinow recommends using arugula, mustard, or a mix) Directions: Scrub beets. Remove tops, stems, and tails, and cut in half. Then cut into 1/4-inch slices. If the beets are older, peel them. Small, thin-skinned beets should be fine. Put the orange juice, vinegar, and the large slices of orange zest into a pressure cooker. Add the sliced beets and lock on the lid. Bring the pressure to high over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain high pressure for 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the pressure come down naturally for 7 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you. Remove the large pieces of orange zest. Stir in the brown sugars and mustard. Remove the beets from the cooking liquid and let cool for 5 minutes. Mix the orange zest and green onions with the beets. Pour the liquid from the cooker over the beets. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto 1/2 cup of spicy greens on individual salad plates. Or you may chill the beets, without the zest and green onions, and let sit in the liquid for 1-2 days. Right before serving, stir in the orange zest and green onions. Don’t have a pressure cooker? Use these directions to make on the stovetop instead: Peel the beets and follow the recipe, adding 1/4 cup more liquid or as much is necessary to cover the beets, cooking the beets for 20-25 minutes until they are cooked through (test with a knife to be sure). Follow the remaining instructions. Makes 4, 1-cup servings of beets, plus 1 cup greens Per serving: 153 calories, 6g fat, 5g protein, 32g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 122mg sodium -Jill Nussinow, MS, RD