Fresh from the Farmer’s Market: Roasted Beet and Turnip Salad
One of my favorite things about spring is the return of the Sioux City Farmer’s Market. There is nowhere else in town that offers the same variety of affordable, fresh, and sometimes even organic produce.
I hadn’t stalked the opening day like usual this year, so I found out the night before. My daughter and I braved the rain and trekked down to the market first thing in the morning, without a list or plan, to browse and see what the vendors had to offer.
This early in the season it was no surprise to see a lot of root vegetables, greens, and honey, but we still managed to leave with three shopping bags full of food.
One of the major differences in buying your food at the farmer’s market vs. a traditional store is that you can actually interact with the farmers and ask questions about the produce. Last year one of the producers talked me into trying kohlrabi. I had barely heard of it, let alone eaten it. But it turns out, it is delicious! And instantly became a family favorite.
On this particular day, they talked me into trying turnips – another vegetable I have never eaten. They told me I could use it somewhat interchangeably with potatoes. I thought that sounded harmless enough, and bought a bunch.
Since I didn’t have a list, I bought a motley variety of items and had to get a little creative to use them all in cohesive dishes.
Roasting is one of my favorite ways to eat vegetables, especially of the root variety, but I bought some beautiful, fresh spinach that I wanted to incorporate as well.
I ended up making a roasted beet and turnip salad with homemade honey Dijon dressing served on a bed of fresh spinach. It was a perfect blend of flavors, and my daughter liked it so much she went back for thirds.
For this recipe I purchased the beets from Farmer Brown’s Garden, the spinach and turnips from C. Brown Garden, and the honey from Becky Davis at Loess Hills Honey.
Roasted Beet and Turnip Salad with a Honey Dijon Dressing
Ingredients:
(salad)
3 cups fresh spinach
2 beets
3 small turnips
1 T olive oil
salt to taste
(dressing)
2 T whole grain mustard
1 T honey
5 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425°. Slice clean beets and turnips into matchstick pieces and arrange in a single layer on parchment paper, placed over a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place in over for 15 minutes, turn, then roast for 12-15 more minutes or until turnips are slightly golden on edges.
Allow to cool slightly, then place on a bed of fresh spinach. In a separate bowl whisk mustard, honey, olive oil, and lemon juice together to create the dressing. Drizzle over the vegetables and spinach and serve.
About the Author
Melissa Haag Melissa Haag is a Sioux City wife, mom, and entrepreneur. She is a self-employed hairstylist, blogger, and owns her own direct sales business. She spends plenty of time in her home office but is easily lured out by her daughter, step-sons, and two fuzzy dogs. You can read some of her ramblings on living life simply at her blog, The World According to Plaidfuzz.
Related Posts
Onion rings, bacon make Jim’s Western Burger special →
Local eateries provide tour of world flavors →
Week Ahead: Human Fest, Bard and a farewell show →
One Response to Fresh from the Farmer’s Market: Roasted Beet and Turnip Salad