We know we’ve hit on a winning combination when everyone asks us to share a recipe. When friends say they’re staying for dinner just so they can have the salad, or neighbors text and say can you send me that recipe? So when we said goodbye to our guests at our last Freedom Dinner and we started getting requests for the recipe for the Beet & Blueberry Salad we had served we knew, it’s a winner.

The greatest part about it is that we created this salad based on the local, fresh produce that Roots Farm was donating for the dinner. We had guests tell us they don’t even like beets and they loved the salad! We’re sharing even more recipes with our Instagram Subscribers so be sure to come join us - we’re making sure all of our subscribers have our Ciderhouse Secret Sauce Chicken recipe to serve with this salad. It’s another recipe that we get requests for every time we serve it! Add in the Best Potato Salad ever, and a bowl of fresh cherries or watermelon and your summer meal is planned.

If you want even more hosting tips, delicious ‘everyone asked for the recipes’ menus, plus timelines for how to get everything prepped and served easily check out our cookbook Dinner Changes Everything. We filled it with 6 of our Dinner Menus that our guests were continually asking for, they’re tried and true, just enough fancy to feel special but still easy enough to prep and cook while you’re still having fun!

For this salad, I suggest prepping big batches of all of the ingredients so you can create the salad for more than just one dinner. This is exactly how we get ready to serve 40 guests plus have some left over so we don’t have to fix dinner the next night either! This recipe includes the slow roasted methods we do, as well as some shortcuts if you’d like to serve this in a pinch.

Ciderpress Lane Beet & Blueberry Salad

1 lb mixed greens, ripped into ‘bite sized’ pieces
balsamic vinaigrette

4 large fresh beets, roasted and sliced - or purchase the Love Beets or a fresh roasted beet from your local grocer. Check Costco, Winco, Trader Joes….
1 large container blueberries
1 lb candied pecans, chopped, see our recipe below - or purchase candied pecans
1 wedge blue cheese, crumbled
balsamic glaze
garnish with Calendula and Bachelor Button petals

To Make :

Start by roasting your fresh beets.

This can be done the day before to make the day of your dinner easier. Preheat your oven to 400. Then prep your beets by cutting off the greens and the root ends. Using foil, pull out a sheet large enough to wrap 3-4 beets together. Before you seal the foil, drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the beets and season with a couple cracks of salt + pepper per beet. Then wrap the foil tightly to keep all of the moisture in while the beets roast.

Place the foil wrapped beets on a baking sheet and Roast for 40-50 minutes, or until you can easily stick a fork into the largest beet. Remove from the oven. Keep the beets wrapped in the foil and allow them to cool. Once you can handle them, bring them to your sink, unwrap the foil and peel off the outer layer of each beet. This outer layer should easily peel / push off. Give the beet a quick rinse to make sure all of that outer layer is gone then slice and store.

*Beets are gorgeous and messy! Where an apron and work over your sink to contain the gorgeous dark juices. Store in a glass storage container so they don’t stain your plastic storage containers. They’ll last for a week or more in the fridge once roasted and sliced.
Here’s a list of my favorite kitchen tools :)

Candied Pecans:

While your beets are roasting you can make a big batch of candied pecans as well!

1 lb Pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper

Pour the pecans out onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Then drizzle with the olive oil and stir until evenly coated. Sprinkle with the remaining ingredients stirring to coat as you add each one. Roast at 400 for 6 minutes, then pull the tray out and stir/flip the pecans. Roast for another 2 minutes, stir and flip again. Then a final 2 minutes just until the pecans are a toasted brown. Keep a close watch on them! They can go from toasted to burned really fast.

Allow the pecans to cool on the tray, once cooled enough to taste - try one! If it needs a touch more salt add it on before they cool completely.

Once completely cooled coarsely chop and store in an airtight container. They will last for several weeks, that is if you hide them. I promise you’ll want to eat them all before they even make it to the salad!

*we make big batches of these throughout the year to use on our charcuterie spreads for events, as gifts during the holidays and snacks for camping and hiking trips.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons coarse ground mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Shake and use! We store ours in the cupboard so the olive oil does not harden in the fridge. It will last for a month+ at room temperature.

Now you’re ready to make your salad!

Toss the greens with the dressing in a large bowl, then transfer to your serving bowl. The greens can be generously dressed but not soggy.
- hosting tip! Mixing the greens in a separate bowl keeps your serving bowl from getting messy

Transfer your dressed greens to the serving bowl and top in this order:

generous layer of sliced beets
blueberries
chopped pecans
blue cheese crumbles
drizzle with balsamic glaze
garnish with Calendula and Bachelor Button petals

We always serve our salads created in layers with the greens dressed generously so the gorgeous toppings can show off their colors. Don’t toss the salad, instead allow guests to serve themselves. They will get a better mix of all of the elements, plus the salad will look stunning!

Have such fun filling your table with delicious, fresh food. Here’s the full delicious menu to serve with this salad:

Fresh Cherries or Watermelon
Best Potato Salad Ever!
Beet + Blueberry Salad
Ciderhouse Secret Sauce Chicken. Be sure to hop on over and join the fun with our Instagram Subscribers so you can get even more behind the scenes recipes, hosting, floral and gardening tips!

If you make this, tag me @kellywelk on instagram!

Kelly's Amazon Lists -Upcoming Events -Workshops - Book: Dinner Changes Everything - @ciderpresslane

In addition to the funds raised at The Freedom Dinners, we donate a portion of all sales to Atlas Free