Gina Chong

Food + Travel

Goat Cheese, Walnut, Arugula Beet Salad

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Do you guys ever stop to notice ways you’ve become similar to your spouse? Or roommate? Or anyone? I always notice little things like our sense of humor or the things we like. Hubby is the one who transferred his love of food to me. Our first valentine’s together he made me filet mignon with crab risotto and asparagus, and creme brulee for dessert. I’d never even had most of those things before. The only way I know I’ve rubbed off on him is my goofiness. I’ve been told before by people I’ve dated that they’d never acted so goofy around anyone else; that girls usually try to be lady-like around them. And then there’s me who laughs like a man and dances like Taylor Swift. But I like to think we rub off on each other in better ways too. Hubby has a very calm and patient personality and over time it’s slowly slowly started to transfer to me.

Before I got married my diet was very different as well. I ate a lot of pasta, chili, and kimbap. All things my hubby doesn’t really like so they gradually and naturally disappeared as I tried to cater to hubby’s preferences. There are three things hubby enjoys above all else: meat, yogurt and ice cream. So our fridge is full of those things at all times. But it makes it hard to round out my husband’s diet with veggies. Fruit is okay, but veggies are a struggle. Recently, though, after a couple of restaurant encounters, he remembered his love for beets. I can’t say I’m as big a fan as he is, but I really like it in this salad. We put this simple salad together for our Easter dinner and it turned out perfect. I just love the color it adds to our meal, and the taste was fantastic. It’s going to be added to the regular meal rotation in our house, and I thought it was delicious enough to share with you guys:

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Goat Cheese, Walnut, Arugula Beet Salad
Serves 3-4

  • 1 package arugula-spinach salad mix
  • 2-3 medium beets
  • 4 oz. goat cheese
  • raspberry vinaigrette dressing
  • balsamic vinegar
  • 4 oz. walnuts
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 Tbsp water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Scrub your beets and chop off the tops. Wrap each individually in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes until tender. Use a knife or fork to poke and check tenderness. Remove from oven, unwrap and let cool. Once cooled, peel with a knife and cut into wedges.
For candied walnuts:
Prep a small pan with parchment paper.
Place walnuts in a pan over med-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until brown and smell toasted (a few minutes). Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the sugars and water. Cook a few more minutes until the walnuts are coated and the mixture thickened. Pour onto your prepared pan, shake to separate the walnuts, and let cool.
In a small bowl, pour about 3 Tbsp raspberry vinaigrette dressing and add balsamic vinegar to taste. Drizzle some over your salad just until coated. Serve any left over on the side.
To assemble: 
On your serving platter, layer your salad and beets. Use your hands or a fork to crumble your goat cheese over the top. Then sprinkle walnuts. Enjoy~

Comments

  8. KC and I are definitely very similar. He says that my good taste in music, movies, etc. has rubbed off on him, and he isn't a picky eater anymore. He is teaching me to be selfless and patient. 🙂 We definitely have the same sense of humor though! 🙂 This is such a beautiful salad. I'm so-so about beets. I really dislike goat cheese, BUT this salad sounds awesome.. so I would totally just swap it and make it anyhow! 🙂 YUM! XO – Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  12. Your food always looks so good Gina! Your husband is so lucky haha. Beets are so good because they're sweet like fruits but healthy like vegetables and also great for raising HDL good cholesterol! I've only ever eaten them at restaurants though, never attempted to work with any myself. I think they seem a bit too foreign and unfamiliar since I didn't grow up eating them. What are the yellow things in the salad? Is it a yellow beet?

    xx freshfizzle

    Reply

  13. Your blog makes me hungry! But you're so spot on about picking up on their ways. Thankfully I haven't picked up A's horrible eating habits, it's the worst. I buy the groceries, so I refuse to buy his indulgences which are diet coke and chips. He has to buy those himself if he wants them haha. I tend to beat to my own drum quite a bit, took some time for him to manage that! Anyways, this salad looks delicious, I've never made ones at home that I absolutely loved except pasta salad. I'm going to have to try this one!

    Reply

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