It’s blueberry season in Arkansas, and I try to take full advantage of it. We love blueberries in just about anyway they can be eaten. They seem to pop up in any number of my posts:
Berry Tempting Blueberry Smoothie
Very Berry Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Blueberry-Ginger Biscuit Cobbler
Browned Butter Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
Slow Cooker Lemon Blueberry Pudding Cake
See…I told you!
And now comes this Red, White and Blue Blueberry and Beet Salad just in time for your 4th of July celebration.
I happen to be one of those people who loves beets. I really do. But..I certainly don’t like the messiness of them. I tend to get their purpleness all over me and my kitchen when I roast them, so more often than not, I’ll choose those prepared ones in the produce section or even the canned ones which I find perfectly acceptable. In fact, canned beets make this salad a snap to prepare.
The earthiness of the beets combined with the sweetness of the blueberries makes for a delicious mix. Toss them with the lemon vinaigrette perks them both us even more.
This salad can easily sub in as a side dish for your picnics or barbecues. There’s no mayo or other dairy product that needs to be kept under refrigeration. You can wait until just before serving to garnish with the goat cheese crumbles if it’s a particularly hot day simply because they might “melt” into the salad.
Who am I kidding? It’s summer. In Arkansas. Of course, it’s hot!
This is one of the Sensational Summer Salads I prepared for this week’s THV11 segment. I also showed that Cherry, Farro and Smoked Chicken Salad with Sunflower-Riesling Vinaigrette that I posted earlier.
You can find the others I shared on the THV 11 website: Arugula, Couscous and Pistachio Salad, Farmers Market Chopped Summer Salad and Salmon and Lentil Caprese Salad. Oh, and my basic vinaigrette recipe that I use all the time is there as well.
Nothing boring going on here!
Notes
Here's a salad perfect for your 4th of July celebration. Adapted from Cuisine at Home, issue 118.
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 15-ounce cans whole beets, drained well, diced
- 3 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cups chopped fresh mint
- Goat cheese crumbles, as garnish
Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons Riceland Rice Bran Oil, Wayne Plantation Sunflower Oil, or grapeseed oil
- 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Drain beets; cut into quarters.
- In a large resealable bowl, add blueberries and beets. Toss.
- Add in toasted, chopped walnuts and fresh mint. Stir well.
- Prepare vinaigrette by combining lemon juice, honey, oil, fresh ginger and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
- Dress salad with vinaigrette.
- Garnish with goat cheese crumbles and refrigerate until serving.
