beet and arugula salad with figs, sweet potatoes, and creamy balsamic dressing

slightly alarmed and disappointed at the heat wave we’re having in minnesota (see any/all my previous posts for my super interesting thoughts on northern weather patterns, heh) so, salad it is until fall rights itself and there’s a definite nip in the air. i guess the upside is more beer on patios, more books to be read outside sprawled on blankets, and more walks to be had sans-mittens. i’m grumbly about it now, but maybe future me will reference this moment in the middle of january when i have in fact become a human popsicle. maybe.

ok but this salad! salads for me are both inherently boring and inherently necessary; I don’t think i’ve ever once been like, OMFG A SALAD, YES! on a menu, but i do appreciate forkfuls of bitter greens, interesting vegetable moments, and an abundance of toppings. case in point, all of this.

arugula! here for it. love it. if it’s not your jam, spinach is a-ok to fill it’s place. figs! fig season is about 4 seconds long in minnesota so have i spent roughly $50 on little cartons of figs in the last 2 weeks? yes, yes i have. beets! beets are the understudy waiting to shine here, and i love their earthiness with the sweet potatoes and tangy goat cheese. creamy balsamic dressing made with tahini because i want to slip tahini into everything! we’ve got an absolute ballad of things i love going on here, and so to amend my original statement, salad doesn’t **have to be inherently boring, and **delicious things ARE inherently necessary.

beet and arugula salad with figs, sweet potatoes, and creamy balsamic dressing
makes: 2-4 servings
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 1 hour

for the salad:
4c arugula
2 large beets (i used one golden and one red)
1 large sweet potato, small cubed
1/2 a red onion, diced
1 1/2c fresh figs, sliced in half
1/2c goat cheese
1/4c pumpkin seeds

1tsp salt
1/2tsp black pepper
1/2tsp garlic

for the dressing:
1/2c tahini
1/4c balsamic vinegar
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp dijon mustard
1tbsp maple syrup (honey or agave work here, too)
big pinch of salt
1/2tsp garlic powder
1/4c or more of water, to thin as needed

preheat the oven to 425.
slice the top and bottom off each beet. wrap each beet individually in foil, and place on a baking sheet. roast for 1 hour, until the beets have softened. once the beets have finished roasting, unwrap them from their foil, and let cool for a bit. then, using a paper towel, gently peel off the skin of both beets. once the skin is removed, dice the beets.

meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. add the sweet potatoes and spices, and saute for 20ish minutes until the sweet potatoes have softened (alternately, you can also roast them since you’ve got the beets going!)

whisk the ingredients for the dressing, then assemble the salad. arugula, beets, sweet potato, figs, as much cheese as you like, and pumpkin seeds. pour dressing over top, and dig in!