Recipe/ Salads

Roasted Beet Hazelnut Goat Cheese Salad

Happy Friday lovelies!
 
roasted beet hazelnut goat cheese salad - she eats
In a previous post I requested some Summer reading suggestions and boy did you all deliver! 
 
Obviously I finished The Hunger Games – which did not disappoint. I hadn’t enjoyed a book the way I enjoyed that one (all 3 of them!) in a very, very long time. Writing a book that grips the reader in the way that one did is a difficult task – let alone 3 books! I was impressed.
 
I am in the process of trying to get used copies of His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman – who would have known I’d get hooked on adolescent adventure novels??
 
And in the meantime, I’ve been consumed with 50 Shades of Grey – again, a trilogy. Of course, I have two things to say about this series… Well, 3. Because there are 3 books, right?
 
roasted beet hazelnut goat cheese salad - she eats
1. The first book was riveting and exciting and oh so dirty. It was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. Much, much more. Ooh la la!
 
2. I’m currently 2/3rds of the way through the second book in the series and in all honesty, the sex scenes have lost their oomph. It’s almost tedious at this point – especially with respect to how quickly and regularly the female protagonist orgasms from penetrative sex. Bitch please! A little more female centered sex would be nice and I’d like more story. 
 
3. Lastly (and most importantly),  is it just me, or is the abuse, control, and life-management of Christian Grey over Ana just scary?! In the bedroom it was hot; in her life, wrong. His paternalistic ways of running her life, selecting her friends and how she spends her time with them, buying the company she works for so he can keep an eye on her, not allowing her to go outside (or anywhere) without him, flying across the country to spy on her while she visits her mother even after she’s said she needs time away from him, refusing to let her have her own wardrobe, eat how/when she wants, selecting when or if she can drive her own car, etc… is insulting and abusive! How has this not created a moral outrage?! And of course, it’s all okay as soon as he touches her because sex solves everything and if she can just love him enough, she can change him. Bull-hockey! This kind of behavior IS NOT romantic. It’s fucked right up and i can’t believe women think this shit is “soooooo romantic”. 
 
p.s. last note on this: The Twighlight series was torn apart by academics and feminist critical thinkers all over the place because of the abusive and paternalistic nature of the “love” story, mainly because of the influence it was having on it’s young female readers and how they were learning to interpret romantic relationships. Obviously there’s something wrong with full grown women too – why aren’t we interrogating this?? 
 
roasted beet hazelnut goat cheese salad - she eats
Something that doesn’t need to be torn apart because it’s beautiful and good and fresh and not at all abusive towards women? Fresh from the farmer’s market, Roasted Beet Salad with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese!
 
…man alive I’m good at those segues!
 
Seriously though. You want this salad.
 
roasted beet hazelnut goat cheese salad - she eats

Roasted Beet Hazelnut Goat Cheese Salad

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 Small to Medium Sized Purple Beets, washed & well dried.
  • 4 Small to Medium Sized Golden Beets, washed & well dried.
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled.
  • 4 – 6 Oz Soft Goat Cheese.
  • 1 C Hazelnuts.
  • Tbsp or Two of Quick Pickled Onions.
  • 1 Tsp Local Organic Honey.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  • Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degree F.
  2. Toss the beets in a roasting pan with a good glug of olive oil, a big pinch of salt and pepper and the garlic cloves. Cover and roast in the oven 25 – 40 minutes, depending on the size and age of your beets. The younger and smaller they are (i.e. farmer’s market or CSA share beets) the faster they’ll roast; the older or bigger (i.e. grocery store chain beets), the longer. You want younger beets here because the flavor and texture of them is far superior to older ones, but use what is available to you. You will know when they are done when a fork slides easily into the center of the beet.
  3. Remove from the oven, allow to cool enough that you can touch them and then peel; cut in half or into fourths. Or if you want to get really fancy, dice! Compost (or eat) garlic.
  4. As they cool you can toast your hazelnuts:
  5. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and then place in oven. Toast for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, dump into a tea towel and rub vigorously to remove some of the bitter casings. Set aside.
  6. In a bowl, mix together the chopped beets, goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts, a glug of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the honey. Serve.
  7. Eat.
Have you read any of the above mentioned books? Any more recommendations? Do you think I’m “reading” too much into the 50 Shades series?…. Also, don’t you just love beets? 
 
  • luckiest1
    August 10, 2012 at 10:08 AM

    Omg this salad looks gorgeous! And I just so happen to have quite a few beets (golden and chioggia) left in my garden. So thanks! As for the books, I enjoyed the Twilight series as well. Haven’t read the 50 Shades series as I’ve heard a lot of bad comments about it, and yours concern me even more. Who doesn’t love a good sex scene once in a while, but I think I’d probably be as pissed off by the male character’s behavior as you are lol.

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 10, 2012 at 4:20 PM

      i’ve heard twilight is similar in the male main character’s treatment of the female main character (i don’t know names! I’m sorry!) – did you not find that? Maybe i should just read them. haha.

      p.s. i saw chioggia beets the other day at the farmer’s market but didn’t pick any up. i don’t think i’ve ever actually had them. note to self: pick some up.

  • Amy
    August 10, 2012 at 2:19 PM

    Gorgeous, this food looks absolutely gorgeous!!

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 10, 2012 at 4:20 PM

      YOU, my dear, are absolutely gorgeous. and clever. nice to hear from you πŸ™‚

  • Sam
    August 10, 2012 at 2:26 PM

    His Dark Materials might be one of those books/series that we have duplicates of–although I have a feeling I took it out of the school library (or ordered it for the library because I wanted to read it…). If we do have multiple sets I’ll email you. YA SF/Fantasy is completely addictive. I’m quite glad I’m teaching middle school again so I feel productive when I read them. I recently read A Great and Terrible Beauty–it’s kind of like if The Craft were set in England in the Victorian era…but in a good way. I am (as usual) waiting for the next book to be available from the library.

    And you know how I feel about roasted beets and hazelnuts <3

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 10, 2012 at 4:22 PM

      i’d appreciate that love!

      p.s. you’re inspiring me to get a library card after the move. i spend so much money on books – even buying used they can add up. i guess if i really loved something i could go out and buy it after. i like to keep them. πŸ™‚

      …will also look up A Great and Terrible Beauty. stupid dorky and addictive SF/fantasy.

  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    August 10, 2012 at 5:58 PM

    I want this salad. WANT want this salad. There’s something about the combination of beets and goat cheese that is just magical. And now you’ve gone and tossed hazelnuts in there too? I’m salivating.
    PS. Haven’t read 50 Shades yet…with all the hype I fear being let down once I start!

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 11, 2012 at 8:55 PM

      i know right? beets and goat cheese is hard to fail. that’s just how i roll, yo! haha.

  • kitblu
    August 12, 2012 at 2:40 AM

    I haven’t read the Hunger Games but a friend really liked it. Nor have I read 50 Shades of Grey but the novels had a full court press, mostly favourable. One of my male friends said the wife of one of his male friends asked for all the books. An article in the paper said that women were attributing a mini-baby boom to the books. It is for each to decide if this a good thing. Apparently Ann Rice wrote similar books earlier in her career.
    I saw a movie trailer for Hope Springs starring Meryl Streep (is there any better?) and Tommy Lee Jones that makes me think that the movie follows the same idea as 50 Shades of Grey.
    Are you asking for dystopian novels, unconventional sex novels or fantasy. (Are these the same in your mind?)
    I highly recommend the first trilogy by Robert J Sawyer: Hominids, Humans and Hybrids if you want fantasy. Not only do they discuss inter-species friendship, vegetarianism and morality but also language. The novels are engaging, informative and thought-provoking.
    BTW I hope to make this salad even if I can’t find golden beets.

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 12, 2012 at 2:22 PM

      haha – no, but my reading tastes vary greatly, apparently. i’m happy to read any genre as long as it’s well written. i’ll take a look at the Robert J Sawyer ones you’ve mentioned. i really like language and how it helps shape/reflect our culture.

      also, yeah i know about the 50 shades thing. like i said earlier, the first book was hot. baby boom for sure! that being said, i feel the novels took a very disturbing turn from there and i think we need to think critically about what we’re calling “romance”.

      p.s. i hope you do! if you do, let me know how it turns out πŸ™‚ thanks for stopping by!

  • mysleepykitchen
    August 13, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I’m a recent beet-convert, so recipes like this are a great way for me to incorporate them into my diet! Love the addition of hazelnuts in the salad – for some reason I always forget about them in savoury dishes. p.s. love the title of this post! πŸ˜‰

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 14, 2012 at 12:05 AM

      i’m glad to welcome you to the team!

      p.s. haha – thanks. any time i can sneak in a little dirty humor i do. because apparently i’m 12.

  • Amber @ The Cook's Sister
    August 14, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    I can’t wait to get to my summer reading myself (yes, I realize it’s August already). On my list is Lirael and Abhorsen (I read the first book, Sabriel, from the trilogy last summer), Cesar’s Way and, if there’s still time, the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

    Love your beet salad! It’s so colourful!

    • Kristy Lynn
      August 14, 2012 at 5:11 PM

      haha – with age and work and life summer does seem to fly by these days! I wanted to get 3 or 4 books in a month this season but unfortunately, everything else gets in the way! I’ll look up Sabriel πŸ™‚

      thanks for stopping by!

  • Kels @ K and K Test Kitchen
    August 27, 2012 at 4:21 PM

    I love love love this salad! I’m so glad that I picked it for SRC and had the chance to explore your lovely blog in the process. And the pickled onions are great too, and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing!