Something Different - A Beet Salad Recipe!

Marc and I were in Phoenix last fall and stayed downtown at the Found:RE hotel. It is a beautiful property and has a fantastic restaurant. I ate a beet salad there and below is my version. Enjoy!
​3 large or 4 small beets, any color
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup toasted pistachios
4 cups arugula
Dressing:
¼ cup while balsamic vinegar
¼ cup blood orange juice (other orange juice works, but the blood orange juice adds a great flavor)
1 tsp agave nectar
1 T diced shallots
¼ cup avocado oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for cooking
Note: this makes more dressing than you need – it will keep in the refrigerator, or reduce the amounts of vinegar, oil, and orange juice. You can also play with the ratios. I’m not sure they are perfect.
Serves 4

1. Cut the top and bottom off the beets and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the beets and bake in a 400 degree oven until fork-tender – about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Let cool, peel and cut in a 1-inch dice.
2. Shell and toast pistachios in a dry skillet until fragrant. Cool.
3. Make dressing: assemble dressing ingredients and whisk. If you don’t like raw shallots (I don’t), you can cook them in a little olive oil until translucent. If you do so, reduce the amount of avocado oil in the dressing.
4. Assemble salad and drizzle with dressing.
5. If desired, shaved Manchego cheese would be good on this salad.