my heart skipps a beet

i love beets! their earthiness, sweetness and rich colour. i find that roasting them with a little olive oil and salt brings out all those qualities best. here, i paired them with shelled edamame, arugula and seared tofu for a gorgeous and nutritious dinner salad. roasted garlic, toasted pine nuts and herb-spelt croutons make it all that much more special. you can add some nice goat's cheese for a non-vegan option.

2 small beets, sliced
handful of arugula
0.3 cup shelled frozed edamame (soy beans) or baby lima beans
2 0.25 inch slices of tofu
3 cloves garlic
2T+ olive oil
1 slice spelt bread, cubed
0.5 t tarragon, marjoram or any dry herb
splash of red wine
0.5 t cajun spice mix
pinch of salt
1 T lemon juice

toss the sliced beets and garlic cloves in some olive oil and roast on a baking sheet for about 10 min or until tender;

for the crutons: in a pan or heavy skillet heat 1 T of the olive oil, add the cubed toast and dry herbs and toast in the pan until golden and crunchy; toast the pine nuts and set aside.

for the seared tofu: in a pan, heat 1t olive oil and place tofu slices in it, sprinkle cajun spice mix and some salt on it and let cook for about 1-2 min or until lightly browned; turn over and repeat the same. when both sides are browned, splash the red wine over it and let the tofu absorb it. remove from the heat.

run the edamame under warm water to defreeze quickly. place in the pan with some lemon juice, saute briefly (less than 1 min).

assemble salad by stacking altering layers of roasted beets (3 to 4 slices) and seared tofu on a bed of arugula. place the edamame over the stack, let fall. arrange the croutons, roasted garlic and pine nuts over top. serve with 1 T of creamy balsamic vinaigrette (see july 6 posting for a recipe).

makes 1 dinner salad serving; 2 side salad servings