Can we just take a moment to enjoy and revel in the natural beauty of this salad? Just take on all the glorious colors that are straight from nature's bounty! Reds, yellows, greens, oh my! This salad is truly one of the most bright and vibrant things you could put on a plate. Naturally. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been collecting a montage of beets from my local produce box and for the first time ever... I got my hands on some golden beets!

Don't worry though, I also have a plethora of traditional red beets too for those traditionalists out there. I love beets. All the beets. Red. Yellow. It doesn't matter. One of my favorite ways to enjoy them is roasted; cooked in the oven in their own yummy juices and then tossed into a salad. For me, there's no better pairing than beets and feta.

To make this salad even more summer friendly and bright, I added in plenty of citrus and of course avocado too. I mean... you can't have summer without some avocado in your life. The dressing here is even made with the juices of orange juice in place of vinegar to make one super light and tasty vinaigrette. Talk about sunshine in a bottle.

There's plenty of crunch here in this salad too. Between the little poppyseeds and the pistachios, I'm in heaven. The creamy and sharp bite of the feta smooths everything back out and cuts through the richness of the beets and avocado. Luckily for me, I had some farm fresh green leaf lettuce, but spinach and/or kale would be a good base for this salad too.

While this salad is as hearty and filling as they come, if you were wanting to bulk it up further you could always add in some grilled chicken to round it out as a complete meal in one. Though honestly, it was satisfying enough to me as it was - to the point that I could barely finish it all!

Roasting these beets was definitely a great way to spend the morning hours on these warm summer days. I roasted enough to meal prep a few of these salads through the week. Of course, if you're going to make them ahead just be sure to keep the dressing to the side and add the avocado right before eating!

Roasted Beet & Pistachio Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Vinaigrette
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 4 • Size: 1 Prepared Salad + 3 Tbsp. Vinaigrette • Calories: 267.8 • Fat: 17.7 g • Saturated Fat: 2.8 • Carb: 21.7 g • Fiber: 6.1 g • Protein: 4.6 g • Sugar: 16.6 g • Sodium: 186.4 mg

Ingredients:
4 Medium Beets (I used red and golden.)
8 C. Mixed Greens
1 Large Avocado
4 Mandarine Oranges, Peeled & Separated
1/4 C. Roasted Pistachios
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Crumbled Feta Cheese

Citrus Poppy Seed Vinaigrette:
1/4 C. Fresh Orange Juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. 50/50 Honey
1 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
2 Tsp. Orange Zest
1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/3 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp. Poppyseeds
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and set out a baking sheet.

Scrub the beets and wrap each one tightly in foil. Place onto the baking sheet and into the oven for about 30 minutes.

Check on the beets; if any of them are drying out, add a bit of extra virgin olive oil, reseal and continue to bake for about another 30 minutes or until the beets are softened.

Once done, allow the beets to cool completely before cutting the top and bottom ends off. The skin should be easily removable at this point. Slice or dice them as you please!

Cover and place the beets into the fridge to chill for at least an hour.

Once the beets are cool, place the 1/4 C. Fresh Orange Juice, 1 1/2 Tbsp. Honey,  Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar, 2 Tsp. Orange Zest, 1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard, 1/4 Tsp. Onion Powder, and 1/3 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil  into a food processor, blender, or cup for an immersion blender; blend away.

 Add in the 1/2 Tbsp. Poppyseeds and Salt & Pepper to Taste.

Build each salad with 1 roasted beet, 2 C. Mixed Greens, 1/4 Avocado Sliced, 1 Mandarine Orange, 2 Tbsp. Roasted Pistachos, 2 Tbsp. Reduced Fat Crumbled Feta Cheese.

Drizzle each salad with about 2 Tbsp. of the prepared Citrus Poppyseed Vinaigrette.

Enjoy right away!