Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone

Trying New Foods

One of the things that I have enjoyed over the past few years has been making an effort to try new things. Not new as in I just invented them, but new to me.  Trying to live in a more simple, frugal manner has challenged me to try things that I haven’t done.  Can I repair it myself? Can I make a nice homemade gift? Can I try a new recipe?

In the kitchen, I have found that learning to eat more seasonally and taking advantage of the abundance from local growers and the farmers market can be such an adventure.  This year, I am trying my hand at squashes.  In the past, the thick rinds have intimidated me, but this year, I am trying different techniques for cutting (microwaving first does help) as well as new recipes.  Below is a recipe for one of my new favorite salads that uses beets.  Up until a few years ago, I don’t think I had ever eaten beets.  I might have been served beets or seen them on salad bars, but I don’t recall eating them.  I like them with other assertive flavors like the mustard-vinegar dressing or goat cheese.

Beet Orange Salad

2-3 medium beets, roasted and peeled
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
4 cups mixed greens
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

dressing:
1 t mustard
3 T red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Cut the peel away and section the orange.  Squeeze any remaining juice into a small bowl.  Mix the dressing ingredients with the fresh orange juice and whisk to combine.  In a salad bowl, combine beets, cut into cubes, and orange sections.  Pour half of the dressing over and mix to coat all beet and orange pieces.  Add mixed greens to the salad bowl and toss lightly to combine.  Divide the salad into serving bowls and drizzle with additional dressing and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.  Serve immediately.

shared at Pennywise Platter and Works for Me Wednesday