beet root salad with creamy citrus & yogurt dressing

Woke up this morning ready to enjoy our last day on the island, and do you know what greeted us? A cold, cloudy, rainy day. Can you believe it? So of course being the big babies that we are, we jumped on a boat and headed back to Athens. There's valid reasoning behind this, but of course it never sounds that reasonable when you relay it back at a later point in time.

Our wonderful reasoning decided that rather than waste tomorrow on a boat when it may very well be a bright sunny day, it was better to book boat tickets today & spend 3 hours of our lives on the boat when the weather is already miserable. That way, nothing was lost.

(this is what peeling beets did to my hand)

So, we headed in to town to have a last stroll, buy my mum some leather sandals from the place that's been there for years, have some lunch with the family, do a little impulsive shopping & book our return tickets to Rafina. It was short but sweet, had it been sunnier and less cloudy I would have been heartbroken to leave. Rather I chose to see the positive side. Tomorrow I fully intend to head over to Eleni's house & rub her big pregnant belly, see, positive side.

On the boat back I sat listening to the Joy the Baker podcast (I find it hysterical & inspiring), contemplating what recipe I will share with you today from last nights feast, and beating my friend at backgammon on my phone. He's convinced that the 'hard' setting on the game means that he will continuously get screwed by the roll of the dice. I know better. I know that when it comes to this game, he has the worst luck. To prove it, I played a few games and showed him how successful I was. He's not a bad player, he just rolls really, really bad dice. This happens on a board, on the computer, on my phone, and anywhere else one can play the game. I've become side tracked again. What I decided was that tonight, I wanted to share something colourful. Tonight, you get to read all about how to make a beet salad.

So, here I am sitting with my glass of wine, scrolling through pictures, and rambling on & on. Enough about me though, please, from the bottom of my heart, enjoy this.

Ingredients: - 5 to 6 beetroots - 1 cup yogurt - 1 tbs mayo - 1/2 orange, zested - 1 tbs orange juice - 1/2 lemon, zested - 1 tbs lemon juice - 1 apple - 1/2 tsp salt & pepper - 1 tbs olive oil - 1 handful walnuts, chopped - 1 tsp coriander - 1 large bunch rocket

Direction: - preheat oven to 210C, wrap each beet individually in aluminium foil, place on a baking tray & bake for one hour (or until done). - toast the walnuts, chop them & set them aside. - finely cut the rocket & set aside. - cut the apple into cubes, coat in a little lemon juice & set aside. - once the beets have cooled, cut them into cubes & set aside. - to make the dressing, combine the yogurt, mayo, lemon zest & juice, orange zest & juice, salt & pepper & coriander in a bowl, mix well. - place the beets, apples, rocket & walnuts in a bowl & add the dressing. Mix well. - top with a few extra apple slices & some more chopped walnuts & serve.

(their place on the dinner table)

By the way...

If you're interested in the type of stuff I keep stocked in my kitchen or the equipment that I use regularly... here's a pretty comprehensive list.

Tools/ Equipment/ Machinery/ Ingredients:

Machinery:

Electric Scale - Etekcity - http://amzn.to/2xkKpQk

Hand Mixer - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2xkjowh

Stand Mixer - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2yqXPiH

Candy Thermometer - Etekcity - http://amzn.to/2xklw7k

Food Processor - Cuisinart - http://amzn.to/2xkkZqK

Blender - Kenwood - http://amzn.to/2xXQgwU

Tools:

Silicone Spatula - Zyliss - http://amzn.to/2y3Srkw

Chef's Knife 8" - Miyabi - http://amzn.to/2fUtyRK

Pots & Pans:

Cast Iron Skillet 12" - Lodge - http://amzn.to/2fMHb1x Cast Iron Pot 5.5 Quart - La Cocotte Staub - http://amzn.to/2fUqxAG

Cast Iron Grill Skillet 10.5" - Lodge - http://amzn.to/2z2GPwi

Cake tins & Pie Plates:

Bunt Pan - Nordic Ware - http://amzn.to/2xjGB1N

Square Cake Tin - Patisse - http://amzn.to/2xkn5Ce

Springform cake tin 22cm (9”) - Farberware - http://amzn.to/2xkdQ4T

Ceramic Pie Plate- Emile Henry - http://amzn.to/2gex5qR

Cupcake Tin - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2xkp4GG

Tart Tin Loose Bottom 9.5” - Patisse - http://amzn.to/2xje3u2

Decorating Equipment:

Non-Slip Pipping Bags - Pastry Gear - http://amzn.to/2fLxAZ0

Pipping Tips - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2yJVPy1

Food Gels - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2kpOCky

Fondant Smoother - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2xkyZRl

Fondant Modelling Tools - Happisland - http://amzn.to/2xjOWSV Fondant Rolling Pin - Wilton - http://amzn.to/2xkbLe5

Fondant Rolling Mat - The Mat - http://amzn.to/2y2bg76

Ingredients:

Active Dry Yeast - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2gcC2R4

Almond Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xkP3xI

Arrow root - Bob’s Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2ycT0WF

Baking Powder - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xkJz5U

Bicarbonate of Soda - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2yL7Lj4

Brown Rice Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2z1MUt1

Buckwheat Flour - Anthony’s Organic - http://amzn.to/2xjRS6T

Cocoa Powder - Valrhona - https://amzn.to/2ouIwlr Coconut Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xkAHNX

Flaxseed Meel - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2ybK0Rm

Millet flour - Bob’s Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2iBZqYw

Oat Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2fNUuyZ

Potato Starch - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2yKpYgH

Quinoa Flour - Amisa Organic - https://amzn.to/2oyWVg9 Sorghum Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2yClSf5 Sweet White Rice Flour - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2y2xmXK

Tapioca Starch - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2xjv879

Vanilla Extract Organic - Simply Organic - http://amzn.to/2xXdt2e

Vanilla Beans - Vanilla Products - http://amzn.to/2yLMqWQ

White Flour GF - Dove's Farm - http://amzn.to/2z1b5I1​

Xanthan Gum - Bob's Red Mill - http://amzn.to/2zoYxuC

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