Roasted Beet & Carrot Salad With Burrata

Since moving back to Northern California, my husband and I are thoroughly enjoying the Fall season! While living in Southern California, we didn't realize how much we missed the changing of the leaves, crisp mornings and nights, and enjoying all of the yummy seasonal produce. When we were at the farmers market this past weekend, it was hard to miss all of the gorgeous beets and carrots. Their colors alone screamed fall. I had been craving easy, delicious and healthy fall side dishes, and I knew these beets and carrots would be perfect topped with creamy burrata cheese and pepitas!

I have found myself roasting any and all veggies this fall season. There is something so comforting and simple about them. What I love most about roasting beets and carrots is the slight earthyness and sweetness you get from them. I drizzled them with some olive oil and seasoned them with sea salt before popping them into the oven.

While the vegetables were roasting, I made a very simple vinaigrette to pour over the top of the salad once it was assembled. I also sauteed the beet greens in a pan so that they were slightly wilted. I had never actually eaten the beet greens before, and they were a nice component to this dish. You could also use chard or spinach if you prefer.

I love putting this dish on a big platter and layering the ingredients starting with the beet greens and topping it all off with the burrata and pepitas. It makes for a beautiful presentation. 

This dish pairs well with just about anything! We enjoyed it along side some herb chicken for a simple rainy night meal. It would also be great on your Thanksgiving table perhaps with a cup of soup or on its own for a vegetarian meal with a loaf of crusty bread. 

I hope you give this incredibly yummy and nourishing dish a try this fall or winter season! 

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Roasted Beet & Carrot Salad with Burrata Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 red beets with tops
• 3 golden beets with tops
• 6 carrots, cut in half lengthwise
• Burrata Cheese torn into bitesize pieces 
• Pepitas or pumpkin seeds
• olive oil
• Salt and Pepper 

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 Tbs. champagne vinegar (or other white wine vinegar)
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 small shallot, finely diced 
• 1 tsp. thyme, minced 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the tops of the beets, reserving the beet greens. Cut the ribs of the greens off, and cut the beet greens into bitesize pieces. Set the greens aside.
3. Scrub the beets clean. Half and slice the beets into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Keep the red beets separate from the rest of the vegetables if you don't want the colors to bleed.
4. Spread the vegetables in an even layer on sheet pans. Again, keeping the red beets separate if you don't want the colors to bleed. Roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until they are fork tender and browned.
5. In the meantime, combine the vinaigrette dressing ingredients. Whisk to combine and set aside.
6. With a few minutes remaining in the vegetable cook time, heat a skillet over medium with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the beet greens and lightly sautee for a few minutes, until they are slightly wilted. Trasfer to a platter.
7. Layer the beets and carrots over the beet greens. Using your hands, break bite size pieces of the burrata cheese and place over the vegetables. Drizzle the dressing and top with fresh thyme and pepitas. Serve the salad warm or cold and enjoy! 

Pear and Walnut Focaccia Bread

This past week my husband and I finally had the opportunity to explore our new local farmers market. It is still pretty warm in California but we have had a mix of warm days with a slight chill in the in air. As we were walking there, we both looked at each other and said, "we're ready for Fall!" Much to our surprise, there was a vendor at the farmer's market exclusively selling pears. We knew they had to be good, so we picked up a few to take home and try. The pears were incredible on their own but I wanted to try them in a new Fall recipe. This pear and walnut focaccia bread turned out incredible and it also makes your house smell exactly like Fall when it's cooking. 

I found that using ripe but not overly ripened pears works best so it doesn't make the dough too soggy. 

The mix of the pears, walnuts and thyme and the cinnamon sugar make for the perfect salty-sweet combination. I added some Maldon finishing salt when I took it out of the oven and it was over the top! You could certainly leave off the cinnamon sugar for a more savory bread. 

Although this recipe may look fancy, it was super easy to make! I bought already prepared pizza dough from Trader's Joe's, which is a great short cut without compromising on flavor. 

Making a fist, dimple the dough and sprinkle the walnuts into the indentations. Then you can layer on the thyme and pears and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture.

If you want your house to smell amazing before company arrives, pop this bread into the oven a few minutes before, and you will definitely impress them when they walk in the door!

Baking it in the cast iron skillet allows you to get the most amazing golden crust without drying out the bread. The pears get slightly softened and the cinnoman sugar bakes into the dough. 

You could serve it for a brunch, afternoon snack, with a bowl of soup or salad, as an appetizer or dessert. To give it more sweetness, you could add a drizzle of honey. Or, if you wanted to make it more savory, you could serve it a long with some gorgonzola or blue cheese. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to hear how you serve it!

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Pear and Walnut Focaccia Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Trader Joe's plain pizza dough (or 1 pound of your favorite pizza dough)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1-2 firm but ripe pears, sliced into thin wedges (about a 1/2 inch. thick)
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnomon 
• Sprinkle of Maldon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 
2. With slight greased hands, remove the pizza dough from the package and place it on a lightly floured surface for about 20-30 minutes. 
3. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9 inch cast iron skillet. Place the dough into the skillet and evenly spread it on the skillet. With light greased hands, dimple the dough creating small indentations. Place walnut pieces into the indent, then sprinkle the thyme evenly over the dough. Arrange the pears evenly over the dough.
4. Combine the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the pears and dough. 
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are crisp and the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature for best results. 

Please note: The bread is best enjoyed right after it is baked. However, if you have leftovers, you can put it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up. Enjoy!