Roasted Beet and Kale Salad

This salad is for my fellow beet lovers! Roasted Beet and Kale Salad is purposely made with very few ingredients so that the flavour of the beets is not masked. Roasted beets are tossed with crunchy, chopped kale, grated asiago cheese, croutons, and a lemon-based vinaigrette.

We are at the end of the growing season here at the Thomas-Ewing household, so it’s time to start experimenting with throwing together different garden veggies to see what works. This Roasted Beet and Kale Salad wasn’t much of a stretch though, because I’ve made it plenty of times before.

When we bought our house a few years ago, little did I know that it would be the garden that gave me the most joy. Sure, the house is nice and comfortable, but after living in downtown Toronto for so long with just a balcony to grow a tomato or two, owning a backyard and having room to grow fruit, berries, and vegetables is a dream come true! The beets and kale you see in this salad were grown and nurtured by yours truly!

As I get older, I hate for summer to end. It’s odd because I used to really despise summer. I dreaded the hot and humid temperatures, but I now realize that it wasn’t summer that I didn’t like so much as it was living in a crowded, smoggy city. That daily commute, packed like sardines in a subway car that wasn’t airconditioned, certainly didn’t help much! Every single day I am thankful that those days are behind me now.

There is something very calming and satisfactory about mixing different soils with fertilizer to get the right growing conditions. And that moment when you first witness those little yellow-ish green stems pushing their way up through the dirt is indescribable. All summer long, a grateful gardener will watch hydration levels, trim and cut away suckers, prop and lift heavy produce-bearing bushes, pull weeds, and gaze in complete wonderment as flower blossoms slowly turn into a favourite fruit or vegetable.

I had no idea how much gardening would consume me – not just in the summer months, but also in the cold of winter when I can be found shopping for seeds online, working on a visual representation of my raised bed planting guide at my computer, or researching which flowers or herbs to plant beside certainly fruits or vegetables.

All of this makes me think differently about preserving my home-grown produce. Because I grow so much, by the end of the season, I have a pantry full of canned tomatoes, salsa, relish, pickles, jams, jellies, beets, carrots, beans, etc. And time after time, when in the cold winter months I open a jar, I can’t help but smell the contents of that jar knowing full well that I managed to lock that summer fresh taste and scent into it. If you waste not, you want not, so with that in mind, let’s use up some of my home-grown kale and beets!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Kale – You can use any variety of kale. Trim the ends, chop, and wash the kale well. Spin it dry in a salad spinner and get it into a big mixing bowl.
• Beets – You can buy roasted beets at some grocery stores. Costco has some really tasty roasted beets. If you have fresh beets at home, they are so easy to roast in your oven.
• Croutons
• Cheese – Asiago pairs nicely with the other ingredients in this recipe, but parmesan works great as well.
• Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed.
• Avocado Oil
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder and Onion Powder

HOW TO MAKE A ROASTED BEET AND KALE SALAD

Transfer the prepared kale to a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, measure in the lemon juice, avocado oil, salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Shake well to combine. Pour half of the dressing over the kale and massage it into the chopped kale leaves. (I like to wear food-safe rubber gloves to massage the dressing in. Massaging the kale helps to tenderize it and lessens that tough chewiness that most people don’t care much for.)

Next, add half of the roasted beets and asiago. Toss well to combine. Plate the salad and top with the remaining beets and asiago. Top with the croutons and drizzle over the remaining dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy!

ROASTING FRESH BEETS

This is really easy to do! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the beets well, removing any soil residue. (Do not cut the beets, leave the tails and stems intact.) Wrap each beet loosely in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast the beets for 40 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the beet with a paring knife. Remove from oven and allow beets to cool for 20 minutes.

Working with one beet at a time, remove the aluminum foil, and while holding the beet under running water, gently rub the skin with your hands/fingers to remove the peel. Once all of the peel has been removed, trim the tails and stems and discard them. Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces or slices. You can season the beets now if you wish, however they are good just the way they are. To season, transfer the beets to a bowl and toss them with a little olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!