Beet and Cipollini Salad with Goat Cheese and Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

3 large beets
20 cipollini onions*
2/3 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons June’s Joy goat cheese
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
7 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (about one large orange)
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Steam beets until they are tender. Scrape off the outer skin using a knife or towel.
2. Cut beets into small cubes.
3. Cut off the very top and bottom of the onions (do not peel) and cook in boiling water until tender, about eight minutes.
4. Remove skin from onions. Cut onions into quarters or sixths, depending upon how big they are.
5. Roughly chop hazelnuts and toast in a pan over medium heat…be careful that they don’t burn.
6. Mix orange juice, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and goat cheese together.
7. Pour mixture on top of beets, onions, and hazelnuts. Mix together and serve cold.

*Cipollinis (an Italian word meaning “little onions” and pronounced chip-oh-lee-knee) are small, sweet onions, about the size of a golf ball. Looking almost like garlic bulbs, cipollinis are thin skinned with a slightly flattened appearance and can be difficult to peel.

For more healthy recipes from Garrett Weber-Gale, visit www.AthleticFoodie.com.