Beets, Oranges and Mint Salad

Beets, not my poor children's favorite food but it came in our gorgeous box of goodness for Klesick Family Farms! What to do, what to do? Beet, orange and mint salad it was! I only happened to add mint since my husband has had a mint addiction this summer and has tried to add it to almost everything he makes, let me tell you mint is a lot more versatile then I had ever imagined when we planted it! But it has over taken it's share of the herb garden, lil bugger. This salad had a nice refreshing taste to it and the kids seemed to palate it well. I was rather surprised and the oranges where super delish, they too also came in our box and they where some of the best oranges I have ever had! To tell you the truth I am in love with my weekly veggie box they deliver, the produce has been so much fresher then anything at the grocery store and the variety we eat now is so much wider!

 Just a little glimpse of our box, you can see the beet leaf.

 Peel and slice the beets.

Place beets into a oven safe baking dish.I used my cast iron pan but any oven proof pan would work well. Toss with extra virgin olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add 1/4 cup or water and place into a 375 degree oven until soft when poked with a skewer. About 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

 Segment 2 oranges. Cut off a little bit of the top and bottom then follow the edges just past the pith in the shape of the orange to remove skin.

 Slice orange next to the veins with a sharp knife to segment.

 Add oranges to the beets in a bowl. Squeeze left over center of the orange over the beets to remove the juice.

 Chop and add mint.

 Squeeze 1 lime over the top.

Add salt and pepper. Yes the pictures sideways for some reason when I correct it, it wouldn't load so for my own sanity I left it! That's life!

Enjoy!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40-50 minutes

Ingredients

• 5-7 whole Medium Beets, Peeled and Sliced Raw
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 2 whole Oranges, Segmented
• 3 tablespoons Mint Leaves, Julienned
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degree's.

Place beets in an oven proof pan and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 40-50 minutes until firm but soft when poked with a skewer. Set aside in a bowl to cool to room temperature.

When beets are at room temperature add orange segments and squeeze juice out of the left over center of the orange's over the beets. Add mint and lime juice, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can serve at room temperature or refrigerate.