Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Black Truffle Balsamic Drizzle...

Last weekend I didn’t buy any groceries, since last Monday was my birthday we did a bit of eating out in the beginning of the week so there was no sense in buying fresh produce only to watch it spoil. I had a well stocked pantry and a few items in the fridge with a longer shelf-life but by the end of the week food was getting pretty scarce in my refrigerator. When lunchtime on Friday rolled around the fridge was looking pretty sad and I was craving a salad. The only greens I had left was some arugula that needed to be used tout de suite, and ditto for some lonely looking beets.

Well arugula and beets sounded like a great combination especially once I started thinking about walnuts and balsamic vinegar. I also had some coconut milk yogurt sitting in the fridge that I’d specifically bought for a recipe I ended up not making and so I decided to use it in my salad dressing in place of oil. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out, but somehow it paired beautifully with the bitter greens and tangy vinegar. Still the recipe needed just a little something extra to bring ti to new heights, and that something ended up being Black Truffle Oil. Now, I know black truffle oil is a fancy - and pricy - gourmet ingredient but it imparts a truly unique flavor into a variety of dishes. Seriously, this stuff has become my new best friend, and it’s great that such a little can go such a long way. It really makes the cost worth it. Of course if you prefer you can leave the truffle oil out, but I strongly recommend it. The salad isn’t quite the same without this unique component.

Strangely enough, though this started out as a haphazard attempt to just eat something before going into work, this ended up being one of my favorite meals of the entire week. It’s super simple to throw together but the flavor is out of this world. Enjoy!

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Black Truffle Balsamic Drizzle

For the Roasted Beets 

2 Small Beets cut in Small Dice
Olive Oil to taste
Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste

For the Salad 

2 Handfuls Arugula
1 Batch Roasted Beets
1/3 C Walnuts
2 Green Onions sliced
1 Tomato

For the Dressing

2 Tbsp Plain Coconut Milk Yogurt
1 ½ Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
½ tsp -1 tsp Black Truffle Oil
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder to taste

- Preheat the oven to 450'F.

- Spray a cooking sheet with a little bit of coconut oil.

- Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil on the sliced beets. Add sea salt and pepper to taste then mix until the beets are well coated.

- Spread the beets out on the baking sheet making sure they do not touch then roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. A little bite is nice!

- While the beets are roasting combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

- Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. This may take a few minutes as the yogurt is going to want to curdle once you add the vinegar. Whisk briskly for 1-3 minute and it should come out smooth.

- Once the beets have finished roasting remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes.

- Top your salad off with the roasted beets, then drizzle over the dressing and enjoy!

PS: This salad makes one good sized serving, or two small starter servings. If you want to make enough for two good sized portions the recipe easily doubles.