^[1]I harvested/sacrified a good bit of my cilantro for this summer salad. It’s sturdy and pretty enough for a summer potluck and get a spark from chili-lime vinaigrette. Recipe and photo contributed by Ellen Kanner.

• 2 medium beets
• 1/2 jicama (also known as Mexican turnip),
  peeled and diced or 1 young white turnip,
  peeled and diced
• 1 orange, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 mango, if available, chopped
• 2 to 3 cups fresh spring greens, such as arugula,
  butter lettuce, watercress or spinach
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup almonds or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teasoon prepared Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Wash beets, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and roast at 400º F. for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool. The skins will slip off and the beets will be sweet and tender. Beets may be roasted a day ahead and kept wrapped and chilled in the refrigerator.

Mix vinaigrette. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, balsamic or cider vinegar, agave, olive oil, mustard, cumin and chili powder. Whisk until well combined. Makes about 1/3 cup of dressing, ample for salad plus leftovers.

For salad, arrange greens on a platter or on individual plates. Top greens with diced beets, jicama or turnip, chopped mango, chopped nuts and a generous blizzard of cilantro. Drizzle dressing on top and serve.

Ellen Kanner is the Huffington Post’s Meatless Monday blogger, ^[2]the syndicated columnist The Edgy Veggie ^[3], and contributor  to publications including Culinate ^[4], Bon Appetit, and Every Day With Rachael Ray as  well as her own blog. ^[5] 

• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Super Savory Salads. ^[6]
• Here are more recipes for beets. ^[7]