Beet Salad

Salad…it just doesn’t inspire the enthusiasm that other recipes can. But, if you eat two salads a day – and you should! – it’s important to mix it up a little bit sometimes and try something new.

A word of warning: This salad WILL make your pee red…I only say this so you won’t believe you’re in the terminal stages of some terrible disease when you make this discovery…It’s just an amusing side effect of eating a lot of delicious beets. Or, if you like, you can always serve it to your enemies…sans warning…and let them sweat a little. Damn, I should have posted this recipe on April Fool’s Day! Oh, well.

Beet Salad

• 4 medium beets (cut off leaves leaving 1/2 inch of stem)
• 1 cup shredded carrot (buy prepared or use a vegetable peeler on a few carrots)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 1/2 tsp ume plum vinegar (“Asian” section) or red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard with horseradish
• some chopped fresh dill

To boil the beets: Add them to a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium-high and simmer until a knife pierces them easily: depending on the size of the beet, it could be 35-45 minutes or so. Once they’re done, remove with a slotted spoon and let them cool for a bit.

Once cooled, slice the beets in half, then into 1/4 inch slices. Mix them with everything else in a big bowl, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.