A Tropical Vacation for Your Tongue

I have pineapple on my mind. Craig and I spent a luscious week in Hawaii for our 27th wedding anniversary --  and we enjoyed (among other things) pineapple in all sorts of dishes. Our favorite, of course, was a wedge tucked on the top of tropical cocktail.

But back to real life....sigh.  I was looking for interesting ways to serve pineapple (minus the rum) at home.

This dish,  gorgeous to look at and deliciously complex in flavor, makes a lovely light lunch. For dinner, we've enjoyed it with grilled chicken and quinoa pilaf. And yes, you can use canned beets and canned pineapple - but the flavor is much livelier with fresh ingredients.

Pineapple and Roasted Beet Salad

1/2 of a fresh pineapple, cut in 1-inch pieces
3-4 beets, roasted, sliced *

Dressing:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Toss the dressing (you may not need all of it - add a little at a time and taste) with beets and pineapple. Enjoy.

* I wash the beets, wrap them in foil and roast at 350 degrees for 1- 1 1/2 hours - depending on the size of the beet. They should be tender - easily cut with a butter knife. Once they've cooled,  peel and slice.  Alternately, the Holiday Market deli (Redding and Cottonwood) sells roasted organic beets.

Printable recipe: CLick here.