Must say…I had never tried a beet until Kathleen Daelemans convinced me to try her Apple and Raw Beet Slaw while watching Food Network several years ago. I loved it, and it was so pretty, too. The beets dye the apples a great fuscia color. When I saw this recipe, I knew I would try it out. This is really not even a recipe. Using a box grater, shred the beets (after peeling them, of course). Toss with thinly sliced green onions. Then whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard to make a vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and combine with beet salad.

The beets taste very earthy, for lack of a better descriptive word. I started thinking how great this would have been with crumbled goat or blue cheese. I used a very flavorful red apple balsamic vinegar for this recipe. I found the vinegar at a new specialty grocer nearby, Vieux Carre Gourmet. The store reminded me of our first trip to Napa Valley. We visited Olivier and had so much fun tasting all the flavored olive oils. Vieux Carre offers olive oil and balsamic vinegar self-serve tasting, which is so much fun! I could have browsed for hours. They have a great cheese collection, freshly baked breads, specialty pastas, a few Louisiana specialties and much more. I enjoyed a panini while I was there, too.

This recipe is worth trying if you have never tried beets!