Beet, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad

4 medium-sized roasted beets
2 tsp (10 mL) grainy Dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 mL) liquid honey
2 Tbsp (30 mL) sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup (80 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 romaine heart, torn into bite-sized pieces
4 cups (1 L) baby spinach
1 large pink grapefruit, peeled and cut into sections
1 large firm but ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced (prepare just before serving, or sprinkle with a little lemon juice to prevent browning)
1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Cut roasted beets in half and slice. Place them in a large bowl and set aside.

For the vinaigrette: combine mustard, honey, sherry vinegar, and raspberry vinegar in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Just before serving, combine romaine, spinach, grapefruit, avocado, and onion in a large salad bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Add beets and pecans and toss gently to coat.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

For 6 servings, each serving contains: 249 calories; 4 g protein; 19 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrates; 6 g fibre; 90 mg sodium

TIP: To roast beets, scrub and trim beets, leaving 1 in (2.5 cm) of stems attached. Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 400 F (200 C). Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

When beets are cool enough to handle, trim the tops and bottoms. Peel under cold running water; the peel will slip off easily. Chill beets before adding them to your salad.

The beets can be roasted and peeled a day or two before serving and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. (Alternatively, cook beets in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 50 minutes.)

Did you know?

To section grapefruit, with a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith from the fruit, first by cutting off the top and bottom, then by slicing off the sides along the contours. Trim off any remaining pith, which is bitter. Cut between the fruit segments and membranes to remove
each section.

source: "Salad Lovin'", alive #335, September 2010