I made this one earlier this summer and it was really good! California Beet Salad 1 bunch fresh beets icy cold water 1 red onion, diced fresh basil 4 T balsamic vinegar 3 T extra virgin olive oil 1 T sugar pinch of black pepper Cook fresh beets in salted water for 20 minutes or until tender. Rinse beets in icy cold water, cut ends and remove skins. Dice beets, add onion and chopped fresh basil. Combine vinegar, oil, sugar and pepper, whisk teogether. Toss with beets and onion. Here is one I have been meaning to try. I can't find golden beets here, but I am sure it would be awesome with red beets, too! Roasted Beets with Pine Nuts, Dill and Red Onion 2 lb golden beets 1/2 c water 1 c thinly vertically sliced red onion 2 T pine nuts, toasted 1 T fresh dill 2 T red wine vinegar 2 T extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1\. Preheat oven to 450F 2\. Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets, scrub clean with a brush. Place beets in a 13 x 9 baking dish, add water to dish. Cover and bake 40 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water, Cool, then trim off roots and remove skins. Slice each beet into 8 wedges. 3\. Combine beets, onion and remaining ingredients in a bowl, stirring gently. Yield 8 servings. Linda

This salad is worth making just to have the candied walnuts. You can substitute Stilton for the Blue cheese. Ann Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pear Salad with Spicy Candied Walnuts ===================================== Salad Celia Source: JS Online 1/2 cup candied spiced walnuts (see recipe) 1 cup Zinfandel dressing (see recipe) 1/2 cup high-quality blue cheese, crumbled 1/2 pound assorted baby greens (arugula, baby frisee, baby lolla rossa) or mesclun mix Make candied spiced walnuts and Zinfandel dressing first. After the pears have been poached, cut them into quarters and slice each quarter into four slices. Fan the slices, forming a half moon, and place in the center of a plate. Toss the greens with enough of the dressing to coat the greens. Using too much will wilt the greens. Place the tossed greens in the crescent of the pear. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and candied walnuts. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing around the perimeter of the greens. This salad could also be presented family-style with all the ingredients simply tossed together in a bowl and served on a platter. Makes 8 servings. Zinfandel dressing 1 1/2 cups Zinfandel (divided) 1/2 cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long 20 turns fresh ground pepper (about 1 teaspoon) 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 Anjou pears, peeled and cored 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar 1/2 cup canola oil Combine 3/4 cup Zinfandel, sugar, cinnamon stick, pepper and salt in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer very slowly until the liquid thickens and becomes similar to a syrup. This will take 1 to 11/2 hours. If mixture reduces too fast, it will become bitter. Dressing can be done in advance to this point, then refrigerated. When ready to complete, add pears and return syrup to a simmer. Spoon liquid over them or turn them frequently. Pears are done when they are soft and easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove pears from the syrup and store in a covered container. Reserve the poaching liquid to finish the vinaigrette. Combine remaining 3/4 cup wine and reserved Zinfandel syrup and bring to a simmer. Reduce mixture by two-thirds. You should end up with about one-third cup. It should be thick and syrupy. Transfer mixture into a stainless steel bowl and whisk in mustard and vinegar. While continuously whisking, very slowly stream in canola oil. If this step is done too fast, the oil will not emulsify. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate. Spicy candied walnuts 1 cup sugar (divided) 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup walnut halves 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Combine 1/2 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Reduce to a simmer and add walnuts. Mix spices and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium stainless steel bowl. When walnuts have begun to soften, after about 8 minutes, strain them out of the liquid and transfer them immediately to the spice mixture. Shake them around in the bowl until they have been completely covered with the mix. Sift them out of the spice blend, saving the spices for making this dish again or for another use. Transfer nuts to an airtight container, but do not refrigerate. Servings: 4 Exported from Home Cookin 5.2b (www.mountain-software.com)

TOFU SALAD SANDWICHES ÂAmerican Heart Assoc. Low-Fat, Low Cholesterol Cookbook Serves: 5Â Plan aheadÂneeds to refrigerate for a few hours. 20 oz. tofu, drained 2 small stalks celery, finely chopped 1/2 small red onion, minced 1/2 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped 1/2 medium sweet red pepper, finely chopped 3 T. reduced- fat Italian dressing 1 T. lite soy sauce or tamari 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice Pinch cayenne pepper Garlic powder to taste 5 whole-wheat pitas 10 leaves Boston lettuce, rinsed and dried 20 fresh mushrooms, sliced Place tofu between two thick layers of paper towels. Place between two plates and press down of the top plate. Pour off liquid. Place pressed tofu and the next 9 ingredients. Mix well, breaking up any large pieces of tofu. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to blend. Cut each pits in half to form pockets and line with lettuce and mushrooms. Add about 1/3 cup of tofu salad to each pita. Serve immediately. Nutritional Analysis: 1 whole pita and 2/3 cup filling equals: 164 caloriesÂ9 gm proteinÂ25 gm carbohydrateÂ4 gm fat (0.52 gm saturated)Â0 cholesterolÂ364 mg sodium

Bumblebee Salad 1 cup long grain rice (I used Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice) 3 cups corn kernels, well drained ( I used Green Giant Niblets – 3 small 8 oz.(250 ml) cans) 1 19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained. 1 red pepper, diced 1 green pepper, diced 6 green onions, chopped ½ cup chopped coriander (cilantro) Dressing: ½ cup red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice ½ cup vegetable oil (I used Canola oil) 1 clove garlic minced 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp salt Pepper to taste (¼ tsp) Cook the rice according to package directions. Allow cooked rice to cool slightly. In a large serving bowl combine rice, drained corn kernels, black beans, red and green peppers, green onions and coriander. Mix to combine well. In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oil, garlic, chili powder,brown sugar, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and mix all together. Cover and refrigerate until about 1 – 1½ hours before serving. Best served at room temperature. This salad lasts for days in the refrigerator.