Meatless Monday and the Candy Striped Beet

I was so happy to see the Candy Stripe beet at the Moors End Farm yesterday, I knew it had to be the star of my Meatless Monday dinner.

I've found that beets bring out a pretty strong emotion in people, you either love them or hate them.  Obviously I'm part of the fan club.  Beets come in a wide range of colors and sizes, but the candy-stripe is one of my favorites.

The Chioggia Beet {as it is called} is marked by the alternating rings in their interiors.  Unfortunately, these bright red raw rings tend to fade when cooked, but the flavor is exceptionally sweet and flavorful.

Adding in a  golden variety, I mixed the earthy beets with a wild rice, herbed goat cheese and pistachios for a hearty dinner salad.

You will need:

• 8-10 beets
• 1/4 c. pistachios
• 1 c. wild rice mix {i like the Lundeberg brand-it's organic  and eco farmed}
• 3 oz herbed goat cheese

Cook the beets until fork done, but still firm {you don't want to over cook}.  Using 2 c. of the beet water, cook the rice according to package directions. This adds a nice flavor to the rice, but you might have to strain it if the beets were particularly sandy. You can alternatively just use water if you are in a time crunch and want to cook the rice and beets at the same time. Cool and slice beets, chop pistachios. Crumble cheese into rice while still warm, add beets, pistachios, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top.  The salad can be served warm or cold.