Last day of Passover! Where did the time go?

You know what's strange? I really haven't missed bread at all this week. There was so many fantastic fruit and vegetables available to us this week that I didn't feel denied at all. Last night at the movies I could have used a small popcorn, but that was the only time I felt like I wanted something not kosher for Passover.


I hope you found some recipes this week that helped you to not only "get through" the holiday, but really enjoy your meals. I would love some feedback on any of the dishes you tried.



Sundays are usually our grocery shopping days, so I decided to see what was left in the fridge. Woohoo! We still had our golden beets left. A couple of nice oranges, too. I grabbed a few items like cider vinegar and honey from the pantry and started lunch.



Here we go:


Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad by Cooking Light


1 1/2 pounds small golden beets

Cooking spray

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups mixed salad greens

3 cups chopped beet greens (about 3 ounces)

1 1/2 cups tangerine or orange sections, halved crosswise (about 8 tangerines) 2 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted


Preheat oven to 400°. Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat beets with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Cut beets in half.

Combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add beets, tossing gently to coat. Remove beets with a slotted spoon, and set aside, reserving orange juice mixture in bowl. Add salad greens and beet greens to bowl; toss well.



Place about 1 cup greens mixture on each of 6 salad plates; top each with about 1 1/2 cups beets, 1/4 cup tangerine sections, 1 teaspoon cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon nuts. Serve immediately.

• I confess. I have basically given up on finding a tasty orange. Most of the time, I buy oranges to zest or juice and get rid of everything else. You see, I've been hurt before and I just don't trust that once I peel an orange it will turn into a sublime snack. Usually they are just mediocre. Even Clementines have started to disappoint me. So, imagine my utter shock, when I peeled this orange- said a little prayer- and popped a slice in my mouth. It was fantastic!!! The best orange I've had in years. Seriously. I was so excited. This salad was going to rock. (Yes, I realize we're just talking about an orange here. I should probably not admit to these things.)


• I sampled the array of nuts I had left, and truthfully, the pistachios were a lot more appealing than the walnuts. So I used them instead. They were so yummy that I didn't even bother to toast them.


• This is the first time I've roasted beets without wrapping them in foil first. Usually when I take them out of the oven and remove the foil, the first layer comes off with it. This time, my heart skipped a beat when I opened the oven and saw charred beets. I burned them! They're ruined! Then I paused a moment and scratched the layer to reveal a perfect golden beet underneath. Now I just feel stupid, but relieved.


• You know what they say. Put quality in and quality comes out. I can't even take credit for how amazing this salad turned out. I did nothing but accidentally put the right ingredients in my grocery cart.