A few months back we posted a delicious roasted beet salad on this blog. It is delicious with a capital D. As much as I crave that salad, I don't get to have it that often because it involves a lot of planning and prep. Roasting beets is not a quick 5 minute endeavor. But my tummy was telling me that I needed to figure out a way to get beets into my salads more frequently, and of course, my husbands mistress (Costco) came through for us. Costco sells the most delicious pickeled beets. They are roasted and marinated in the most delicious brine. They taste practically as good as home grown roasted beets, but all you have to do for these babies is open a jar. That is my kind of treat. Today we are blessing your bellies with a recipe for a beet salad with pistachios and goat cheese, and all sorts of wonderful and easy toppings.  

Ingredients:  

16 ounces pickled beets, chopped

8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

6 cups spinach, washed

1 cup pistachios, shelled

1/2 cup pickled beet juice

3 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp lavender salt

1 tsp pepper

Mix the last 5 ingredients together as your dressing, then just toss everything else together on a plate. The beet juice will dye your goat cheese the most beautiful and fun pink color. The beets are beautiful and fun enough to be an anomaly for your kids and they actually might eat them! 

This salad has a wonderful earthiness and heartiness due to the beets. Its got a pack of protein and creaminess from the nuts and cheese, and a very mild get in my belly dressing to compliment it. This easy salad will become a quick go-to when you don't feel like spending any longer than 3 seconds making your lunch. Enjoy!

So I made up a salad today with some left over ingredients I had laying around, and it was SO DANG GOOD.  The pantry gods were smiling down upon me, and everything in this dish comes together so beautifully. Its got a lovely savory and satisfying flavor due to the mushrooms and bacon, and its got great for you buttery vegetables and a peppery bite from the arugula. I love eating meat free or very little meat meals. It just feels like a healthy choice. This was a great way to eat vegetables for dinner and not feel sad about it. 

Ingredients: 

1 butternut squash peeled and cubed into 1 inch squares

3 cups bag fresh arugula 

3 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 pkg baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

6 ounces crumbled goat cheese

salt and pepper 

Directions: 
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it begins to crisp up and renders some of its fat. Add your mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the mushrooms and bacon from the pan and set aside. Stir your squash into the remaining bacon grease and cook until the squash is cooked through and crispy on the outside. Pour your arugula into a bowl, top it with the squash, then the bacon/mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Roasted walnuts would be a wonderful add on as well if available. 

This salad was supremely delicious and came together quickly. A quick, healthy, tasty, low meat meal. Winner winner (not a chicken dinner) in my book!

Enjoy!

Ok, first of all, try to ignore all of the deliciousness happening in this photo and just focus on the delicious little pink salad in the corner. I know its' being overshadowed by the big green salad that we shared with you on the blog yesterday, but I promise you don't want to over look this pastel pink treat. Frog eye salad is certainly not the most high brow recipe we have shared here, but it is nostalgic, sweet, and will bring you back to the deliciousness that was your childhood. 

Ingredients: 
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 box acini de pepe
1 tbs oil
1 (15 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (15 oz) can pineapple crushed, drained
1 (16 oz) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (8 oz) carton cool whip

Directions: 
In a pot combine flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in juice. Add egg and cook until thick. Add lemon juice and cool. Cook pasta as directed adding oil, drain, rinse, and cool. In large bowl add pasta, juice, and all fruit. Cover and chill over night. Just before serving, fold in your cool whip. 

Peggy swears this is a hit at any large gathering, and when it comes to food, you always trust Peggy. 

Few salads have earned the right to be in the Nelson Family cook book. And I can guarantee you that every single one of them is amazing. Peggy has such a wonderful ability to pair flavors and she always whips up homemade dressings that will have you wanting to lick the bowl. This pear salad is no different. Its the perfect balance between sweet and savory, and has a wonderful salty crunch to it.

Salad Ingredients: 

2 heads romain lettuce

1 pkg mixed greens

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1/2 lb cooked and crumbled bacon

4 oz gorgonzola cheese

3 pears

Dressing Ingredients: 

2 cups sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cup oil

2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions: Roast Walnuts for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then cool. For the dressing, combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender until the onions are finely chopped. Slowly add oil while the blender is still running. Stir in poppy seeds. In a very large bowl mix greens with bacon, pears, walnuts, and cheese. Toss with dressing and serve immediately. If you like your salads slightly underdressed you can always make 1/2 of the dressing. 

This is the perfect flavor combinations for a salad, all coming together in one beautiful bowl. We hope you try it and look forward to your feedback!