Golden Beet Salad

Preparation Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets in a roasting pan and add water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the beets are easily pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours. Set the beets aside until they are cool enough to handle. Peel and rinse off any pieces of skin. Slice the beets into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, and then cut them into 1/4-inch-thick sticks. Let the beets cool to room temperature. Toss the beets with the rice vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the olive oil and mustard and toss with the spinach. Garnish with the toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. Make Ahead: You can roast the beets up to 3 days in advance; toss them just before serving. Per serving: 160.0 calories, 80.0 calories from fat, 9.0g total fat, 2.0g saturated fat, 5.0mg cholesterol, 510.0mg sodium, 15.0g total carbs, 5.0g dietary fiber, 10.0g sugars, 5.0g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database Reprinted with permission from Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh All-American Recipes from the Pacific Northwest by Kurt Beecher Dammeier with Laura Holmes Haddad. Copyright © 2007 by Kurt Beecher Dammeier and Laura Holmes Haddad. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Kurt Beecher Dammeier is an entrepreneur and self-taught cook. Since opening Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Seattle in 2003, Dammeier has quickly become known as an American cheese industry expert. In addition to Beecher's, he owns four Pasta & Co gourmet retail shops and Bennett's Pure Food Bistro on Mercer Island, Washington, where he lives with his wife and their three sons. Visit these establishments online at www. beechershandmadecheese.com, www.pastaco.com, and www.bennettsbistro.com. Laura Holmes Haddad, a former caterer and cookbook editor, is a freelance food and wine writer. You can visit her at www.gourmetgrrl.com.

Preparation Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets in a roasting pan and add water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the beets are easily pierced with a fork, about 1 1/2 hours. Set the beets aside until they are cool enough to handle. Peel and rinse off any pieces of skin. Slice the beets into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, and then cut them into 1/4-inch-thick sticks. Let the beets cool to room temperature. Toss the beets with the rice vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the olive oil and mustard and toss with the spinach. Garnish with the toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. Make Ahead: You can roast the beets up to 3 days in advance; toss them just before serving. Per serving: 160.0 calories, 80.0 calories from fat, 9.0g total fat, 2.0g saturated fat, 5.0mg cholesterol, 510.0mg sodium, 15.0g total carbs, 5.0g dietary fiber, 10.0g sugars, 5.0g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database Reprinted with permission from Pure Flavor: 125 Fresh All-American Recipes from the Pacific Northwest by Kurt Beecher Dammeier with Laura Holmes Haddad. Copyright © 2007 by Kurt Beecher Dammeier and Laura Holmes Haddad. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Kurt Beecher Dammeier is an entrepreneur and self-taught cook. Since opening Beecher's Handmade Cheese in Seattle in 2003, Dammeier has quickly become known as an American cheese industry expert. In addition to Beecher's, he owns four Pasta & Co gourmet retail shops and Bennett's Pure Food Bistro on Mercer Island, Washington, where he lives with his wife and their three sons. Visit these establishments online at www. beechershandmadecheese.com, www.pastaco.com, and www.bennettsbistro.com. Laura Holmes Haddad, a former caterer and cookbook editor, is a freelance food and wine writer. You can visit her at www.gourmetgrrl.com.