Toasted Walnut and Beet Salad

     Beets are one of those vegetables that I don't often get to cook at home (mostly because I'm too lazy to clean them) but that I commonly eat when I am visiting my parents'. I've been in North Bay for just over a week and I think that we've had beetroots five times. So needless to say, we all love beets. 

     Beets are a carb-loaded winter vegetable that can be enjoyed boiled or roasted, hot or cold, plain or dressed. This salad isn't too sweet, and has a lot of zing! and crunch, walnuts are great for crunch.This salad can be made with roasted or boiled beets, it's completely up to you. If you are making a big batch of beets, you can also use plain leftover beets to make this salad.

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium beets, stems and ends removed
• 3/4-1 cup (3 oz) walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard, coarse or smooth
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Cook beetroot; while cooking you can prepare steps 3 and 5.
• Roasted: wrap in tinfoil and bake at 400°F for about 60 minutes or until tender.
• Boiled: cook beets in boiling water for about 60 minutes.
2. Let the beets cool, then peel and cut into thick slices.
3. Toast walnuts in the oven at 400°F for about 8 minutes on a baking sheet (or in a pan on low heat for 5 minutes).
4. Slice onions and place in a small bowl to marinate for 10 minutes in the 3 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar.
5. To prepare the dressing, whisk together all other ingredients in a small bowl. 
6. When all ingredients are prepared, mixed together the beets, walnuts, onions (you can also add the leftover vinegar), and the dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve cool or at room temperature along side your favourite main, I served mine with veggie pot pie. 

Balsamic Glazed Radicchio

This slightly bitter friend is a great accompaniment to pasta, especially pasta primavera, or served with tapas. The best method of preparing radicchio so that its bitterness does not over power you palate is to soak it, but then again adding a glaze helps too.

Ingredients

2 grapefruit sized heads of radicchio 
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbsp honey
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Wash outside of radicchio and cut each into eight wedges. Place radicchio in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak a minimum of 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a anti-stick pan on medium-high heat, bring balsamic vinegar with honey to a boil, then reduce heat. 
Simmer on medium-low for around 15 minutes (or more) until the balsamic is reduced to a maple syrup like consistency. 
Remove from heat.
After radicchio has soaked, let dry on a cloth for 3-5 minutes.
Preheat grill.
When dry, brush wedges with olive oil. 
Put radicchio on the grill, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Be mindful not to overcrowd as the vegetable can become soggy. (If you don't want the tips burning, you can wrap the tops with tinfoil so that they are not on the direct heat.)
Grill for 5-10 minutes, such that the core is just soft.
Remove from heat and brush or pour on balsamic reduction.
Serve and enjoy!