Arugula Salad with Glazed Beets & Candied Pecans

Vegan salad includes romaine lettuce, tofu feta & lime vinaigrette

Arugula Beet Salad: Amazingly tasty with arugula & romaine lettuce, candied pecans, orange glazed beets, tofu feta & lime vinaigrette.

Orange glazed beets are easy, and essential, although cooking the beets takes most of the time for this recipe - about 30 minutes.

Candied pecans are easy too, but save time by buying them if you like. Tofu feta is simple - just chop or crumble firm tofu and marinate with some of the lime vinaigrette dressing, or substitute storebought vegan cheese.

Total prep & cook time: 45 min

Yield: 4 Servings

Nutrition Data Per Serving, 335g, 2 cups: 436 calories, 266 Fat Cal, 35g carbs, 31g fat, 3g saturated fat, 353mg sodium, 6g fiber, 10g protein, 25g sugars, low Cholesterol, good source Vit. A, C, K, Manganese. Estimated glycemic load 13

Ingredients:

• 2 large beets, peeled, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2/3 cup lime vinaingrette dressing (directions below)
• 1/2 package extra firm tofu
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
• 2 cups arugula leaves, washed, drained and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped

Lime Vinaigrette Dressing: Blend or whisk together:

• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp agave or maple syrup
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 Tbsp dried basil leaves
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Salad Directions:

1. Squeeze fresh oranges to make 2 cups of juice
2. Wash, peel and chop beets in 1/2 inch cubes
3. Cook beets in covered pot in orange juice until tender. Remove lid, stir and cook down over medium heat until remaining orange juice is gone. Be careful not to let the beets burn at the end of cooking. Set beets aside to cool.
4. While beets are cooking, make the dressing and set aside
5. Drain and chop or crumble tofu in approximately 1/2 inch pieces. Marinate with 2 Tbsp of the dressing. Set aside until the salad is ready to assemble.
6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread pecan halves on a baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, 10 - 15 minutes
7. Toss hot roasted pecans in a hot pan with 2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup until well coated. Separate and set aside to cool on parchment paper or an oiled plate.
8. Wash and chop the arugula and lettuce. Set aside to drain, or use a salad spinner.

Assemble the Salad:

1. Place chopped greens in 4 indivdual salad bowls
2. Arrange orange glazed beets, candied pecans and marinated tofu in the center of the greens
3. Drizzle the lime vinaigrette over the salads and serve immediately

Recipe Tips:

Arugula is a perfect flavor complement for the glazed beets, but baby spinach will do just fine if you can't find arugula.

This salad will keep for another meal, BUT store the components separately, and assemble just before serving.

If you're not a tofu person, feta cheese or vegan cheese equivalents - if you can find them - are possibilities. The advantage is that those won't need marinating like tofu does.

Walnuts will work in place of pecans, although they have a bitter coating in their raw state, which might affect the taste. One solution is to soak them in boiling water for 20 minutes to get rid of the tannic acid, then drain and roast and glaze them.

Even though I cut the oil in half, this is still a fairly high fat recipe because of the tofu and the nuts. Reduce the fat by skipping the oil in the dressing, but keep the nuts and tofu for the nutrition.