Beet Salad with Avocados and Manchego Cheese

.

I just love sweet beets!  My mother used to toss them with diced onions in a simple Italian vinaigrette when I was growing up.  She knew how much I loved beets prepared that way so much, that after I left home as an adult, she would always have a large bowl waiting for me when I would come home to visit.  That recipe was posted back on June 29, '09.

Beets were on my mind again lately, and so while I was at Whole Foods fresh produce department this week, my eyes honed in on the largest beets that I ever seen in my life!  Just look below at the photo where I show the difference between one huge beet from Whole Foods on the right, compared to the beet in the center that I purchased from Wal-Mart today, and a jumbo cage-free egg on the left.  I normally would not have bought beets from W-M, but I wanted to show just how large these beets are!  I only bought three of them and they made a salad that will last all week long!
.

Upon purchasing these big red beauties, I had every intention to make my mother's simple Italian beet salad, but while at the market, I also picked up some perfectly ripe Haas avocados, Manchego cheese, and fresh eggs.

.

After unpacking all of this beautiful fresh produce, I felt like jazzing up my mother's salad just a bit.  The recipe follows.  But, the truth is, I still love that old recipe so much that I used half of these beets to make my mother's original Italian beet salad recipe.

Just gorgeous colors of ruby red, green, yellow, and white in this vegetable salad!

Beet Salad with Avocados and Manchego Cheese

.

3 large Beets (or 1 regular sized 'batch'), cooked in boiling water, cut into large slices or pieces

1 large sweet Onion, chopped

1 ripe Haas Avocado, peeled and chopped into cubes

3 jumbo cage-free Eggs, boiled, peeled, and sliced

1/2 cup dried sweet Cranberries

1/2 cup slivered Almonds

1/2 cup slivered Manchego cheese

Red-leaf Lettuce, cleaned and whole leaves pulled off, do not tear up into pieces

Vinaigrette

Salt and Pepper to taste

.

Vinaigrette 

.

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsps. chopped Onions

1/3 cup extra-virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning or 1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing 

Bring water to a boil in a very large, deep heavy pot.

Place the beets in the hot water and boil until a fork can be easily inserted into the center.

Remove the cooked beets from the water to cool.

Peel and remove both ends.

Slice into very thick slices.

Place the lettuce on a platter for a base for the remaining ingredients.

Spread a layer of the thickly cut beets on top of lettuce.

Place the chopped avocados, onions, sliced eggs, dried cranberries, slivered almonds and slivers of Manchego cheese.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad.

Salt and pepper to desired preference.

Serve with some beautiful artisan bread.

.

.

.

Beet and Avocado Salad With Manchego Cheese
.




. Pin It

Blue Ribbon Grilled Turkey Breasts

.

.
State fairs have been taking place across the country since August and will extend into October in those states where the weather is more warm.  In my home state of Iowa, the fair is always held in August.  Here in South Carolina, the fair is taking place right now, and yet to begin in Arizona, where I used to live, the state fair takes place in October.

When I was growing up, my parents would take us to the Iowa State Fair for one full week!  They would take our pop-up camper and let us loose on the fair grounds to discover all of the animal exhibits, shows and competitions, go to the Midway for the crazy rides and games, and visit the various agricultural, home and garden venues.  We'd come back for dinner that my mother prepared on the park grill on our camp-site and we would sit around and tell the tales of our adventures for the day . . . and then when it got dark, we were able to go back to the Midway to see all of the amusement park rides all lit up!  It was such an innocent time and so much fun!

Each and every day my siblings and I would take the old rickety wooden boats and drift along the rushing water stream through the dark and chilly Tunnel of Love!  It was the only cool place at the Fair in the middle of those scorching August afternoons!  We rarely saw anyone smooching because it was so dark in there, but we sure were looking to see if we could see some stolen kisses between lovers!  But to a future foodie, along with my siblings, I was able to indulge in eating endless and huge amounts of FUN FAIR FOOD!  Giant size breaded pork cutlet sandwiches, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, caramel apples, ice cold root beer, cotton candy, the list goes on and on.  And since the Heartland state of Iowa is blessed with some of the richest soil on the planet, the food bounty is simply incredible.

One year some friends treated us to this blue ribbon winner from the state fair:  Delicious grilled turkey breasts that soak in a 2-hour bath of a flavorful marinade.  It's so easy, you'll make this quite often!  Plus turkey is so good for us in replacement of too much red meat in our diets.

Iowa State Fair Grilled Turkey Breasts (Tenderloins)

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/4 cup Dry Sherry or Red Wine
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground if possible)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (this is double the amount of the original recipe, but I'm garlic-crazy)
1 pound turkey tenderloins, sliced to your desired widths.

Wash your hands thoroughly.
In a bowl or pan, combine all of the marinade ingredients except the turkey breasts.
Pour the marinade into a self-sealing freezer storage bag.
Add the turkey breasts to the bag and seal it shut.
Place in the refrigerator and marinate for several hours (about 2 hours is good enough).
Remove the turkey breasts from the marinade and grill on direct medium heat for 8 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees F, and the turkey is no longer pink.
Discard the marinade.
Serve with your favorite side dishes!
.

A richly flavored, aromatic marinade.

.

Place the turkey breasts in a self-sealing plastic freezer bag, squeeze it tightly, twist the top so the marinade is completely covering the turkey.  Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

State Fair Marinated and Grilled Turkey Breasts
. Pin It

Fresh, Clean, and Pure Friday/Weekend #4

Welcome to the 4th Fresh, Clean, and Pure Friday/Weekend blog link-up where you can link up your post on anything that you've included in your life to freshen and clean it up, whether that is your nutrition, lifestyle, decor, outfits, or outlooks!
.
Please remember: No solicitation posts with simple coupons, sales pitches for any product/service, or promotion of giveaways . . . kindly STICK to the theme.
.

So you may be asking, "What exactly do you mean by "FRESH?" Just fresh food? Well, that certainly could be one thing that qualifies as something fresh to post about, but here is a brief list to guide your decisions on what "Fresh" topic to post!

• fresh scent/s
• freshly prepared food
• non-packaged or preserved food (however canning or freezing 'fresh' food can be included)
• fresh new look/outfit/design/decor
• a fresh new quilt made, or any new hand-made treasure
• a fresh new beauty/exercise routine
• fresh cut flowers
• fresh new outlook, beginning, start, idea, experience, goal
• anything recently made or produced
• newly harvested
• fresh, clean and pure: water, air, make-up, rain, products you use/recommend
• anything unused and free from dirt, soil, impurities

. . . that's just to give you an idea of what 'fresh' things or behaviors that can be included in your post!

So here's what to do:

• grab the button below and place it anywhere on your blog (delete it after the weekend is over if you desire).
• follow this blog, 'la bella vita' and Claudia's (links provided above so we'll follow you back).
• add your post link and the image that you wish to display.
• visit and follow a few blogs and tell them that you found them here.
• kindly leave a comment here and with Claudia, so that we can follow you back!

All blog hops that I'm linked up to have their buttons displayed on the side and bottom of my blog.

.



.
Pin It