recipe: beet avocado citrus salad

Confession: this is only like my third time eating beets. It's my first time cooking them. Growing up, we just never really had beets. The only time I ate beets as a child was at a friend's house and the beets came from a can. And anytime it's a veggie from a can, it's bound to be a bad experience.

My only real understanding of beets came from the cartoon show "Doug." (Anyone else watch that religiously?) For whatever reason the characters on that show were obsessed with beets and ate them all the time... but being that it was a cartoon show, I didn't take much stock in it.

Fast forward to adulthood and I'm basically on this food quest to cook and experiment with foods I haven't had a lot of experience with. I've gotten the hang of kale, brussels sprouts and this week, it's beets. Next week... who knows... but I'm open to suggestions! ;)

I am also on a huge salad kick and after seeing some beet salad recipes in my latest edition of Cooking Light (if you're ever looking for a great recipe magazine, I highly recommend it), I decided to try my own version. This is what I came up with, and yes, it's delicious.

ingredients.
- 2 beets, washed, peeled and cooked (you can roast them at 350 with a bit of oil until soft, or microwave them for 5-10 minutes with an inch of water in a glass bowl, rotating halfway through.)
- 1/2 grapefruit, peeled & quartered
- 1/2 avocado sliced
- 1/8 cup goat cheese, crumbled (goat cheese is great because most people with a dairy intolerance can eat it, but you can choose another soft cheese here.)
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1 tbs all-natural french vinaigrette dressing. make your own or I love this brand.

Slice beets, grapefruit and avocado and mix with greens. Sprinkle with goat cheese. enjoy!

xo, erika