It's officially Spring, which has turned into my favorite time of year here in Texas.  The weather is just right and there is only a small window of time before the heat takes over and I turn into a pool of water. We have been enjoying as much outside time as we can get while the temperature is perfect!  Things like strawberry picking, letting Parks play in the sprinkler, and eating crawfish with friends makes for a pretty happy lady (aka me) let me tell you.  Along with the desire to be outside more, comes a strong need for color on my plate!  There is something about the weather shift that makes me crave fresh foods with lots and lots of color.  My roasted beet salad with tahini white beans is one of those salads that is not only delicious and super healthy, but it is also really gorgeous too!

You are either a beet lover, like me, or you are a beet skeptic.  And I think if you are beet skeptic maybe you haven't had them prepared the right way or haven't tasted the right variety.  I feel like you would not object to my honey and beet frozen yogurt for a healthy sweet treat!  For this salad I used two varieties of beets, and you will find the golden beets are a little less earthy and sweeter to taste.  So if you want to give beets another chance, try the golden variety and see how it goes and then ease your way back to the purple!

I have always loved beets, and try to fix them often because of their high nutrient content.  I use them in cocktails, desserts, and love them in salads.  I have combined my love for beets with my love for all things tahini and created a velvety bed of tahini white beans for the beets to lay on for this salad!  I'm telling you that the combination is dynamite people.

Switch up your salad game and give my roasted beet salad with tahini white beans a shot!

Ingredients:

For the Beets-

• 4 Purple Beets

• 4 Golden Beets

• 1 Tbsp. Avocado Oil or Olive Oil

• 1 Tsp. Kosher Salt

• 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

For the Tahini White Bean Puree-

• 1 15 Oz Can of White Beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 Tbsp. Tahini Paste

• 1/4-1/2 Cup of Warm Water

• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

• 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt

• 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

Other Ingredients-

• 1 Cup of Fresh Arugula

• 1/4 Cup Toasted Chopped Hazelnuts

• Squeeze of Fresh Lemon

• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

• Wash beets and toss with oil and salt and pepper.

• Wrap the beets in aluminum foil tightly and place onto a baking sheet and roast for 45-60 minutes until fork tender.

• Let the beets cool slightly and then gently remove the skins from the beets.

• While the beets are cooling, combine white beans, tahini, warm water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Start with 1/4 cup of water and add more if needed for consistency.

• Slice beets thinly.

• Spread a layer of the velvety white beans onto your plate or serving platter and then layer then beets on top. Sprinkle with arugula and hazelnuts.

• Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper and squeeze of fresh lemon to finish the salad.

• Serve immediately.

This salad is so pretty and full of flavor, I really hope you love it as much as I do!