Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

I got the idea for this salad after we went to Stephan Pyles for our anniversary. I had the phenomenal beet salad with a blue cheese mousse and candied pecans. yum!

Serves 2

1 large or 2 small roasted beets (I roast mine wrapped in parchment and foil with evoo and salt and pepper)
soft lettuces, like butter lettuce, arugula, and mesclun mix
1 avocado
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 t Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Plate the lettuces. Slice the beets very thinly, or use a mandolin. Arrange on lettuce. Slice the avocado into sixths.


Mix the vinaigrette in a small jar, adding olive oil, orange juice, and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the avocado with a small amount of the vinaigrette to keep it from turning colors. Add to the salad.

I like the vinaigrette on a mixed vegetable salad or on warm asparagus as well.

Udon and Veg

I've been in a really Asian mood lately, mainly because I've been trying to eat more vegetables and Asian food makes it so easy to incorporate veggies in the diet.



This was a really tasty stir-fry kind of dish that came together really fast on a weeknight. I bought the udon at an Asian market, but I've seen it in the grocery store as well. You can also sub a thick Italian noodle.

1 package (about 1/2 pound) wide noodles
4 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen
2 T soy sauce
2 T chicken broth
2 T cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
salt
pepper

If you are using crunchy vegetables, like carrots, broccoli, snow peas, etc you will want to blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes. You don't want them soft, just softened a little bit so they don't take forever to cook later.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles.

Heat a large skillet to very high heat and add 2 teaspoons light flavored oil, like corn or canola. Add the toughest vegetables first, and start stir-frying each vegetable until tender. Turn the heat down to medium low.

Mix up the sauce in a measuring cup, adding the soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, sugar, and vinegar. Whisk with a fork then add to the vegetables. Add the udon when it is just tender to the tooth, not mushy. Add salt and pepper to taste, although you shouldn't need much salt with the soy sauce.