The following excerpt and recipe for Roasted Beet & Tangerine Salad is from Diane Kochilas' cookbook "The Ikaria Way: 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes Inspired by My Homeland, the Greek Island of Longevity." It's available for purchase on Macmillan's website.

Arugula, which is cultivated in Ikarian gardens but also grows wild on the island, is one of the great super greens of the Mediterranean. Arugula, especially bitter and peppery when it grows in the dry, temperate climate of Greece, is nutrient dense, packed with fiber and phytonutrients. Our bones, teeth, muscles, nerves, and immune system all benefit from this tender green. This salad is beautiful to look at and has a nice range of textural and flavor complexity, too: crunch from the walnuts and that velvety, slippery texture of cooked beets; natural sweetness and acidity both; and an interesting spice palette. You can swap out any type of orange for the tangerines as well.

Roasted Beet & Tangerine Salad with Arugula & Hazelnuts

  • Prep Time:0
  • Cook Time:1 hr
  • Total Time:1 hr
  • Servings:4
  • Medium

    Ingredients

  • 2 large fresh beets
  • 5 tbsp extra-virgin Greek olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 4 allspice berries
  • 1 star anise - optional
  • 2 tangerines plus one for juicing
  • 1 scant tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or fig balsamic vinegar or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seed - ground in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle
  • 6 cups baby arugula
  • 1 medium red onion - halved and sliced
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts - halved or coarsely chopped
Photo from Diane Kochilas

  • Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Trim and scrub the beets. Rub them lightly with olive oil and a little sea salt and place on a piece of parchment large enough to hold them both. Add the allspice berries and star anise. Bring up the sides of the parchment and fold over the edges to seal in the beets. Place the parchment inside a piece of aluminum foil and wrap to seal. Place on a small shallow baking pan and roast the beets for about an hour, or until tender. Remove, cool, peel, and slice into rounds and then into half-moons.

  • Step 2

    Prepare everything else for the salad. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over low heat for a few minutes. Remove and set aside. Peel 2 of the tangerines and set the third one aside for juicing.

  • Step 3

    Cut the tangerines into rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Light a grill pan or nonstick skillet over high heat and drizzle in about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sear the tangerines a little, flipping gently to color a bit on both sides.

  • Step 4

    Juice the remaining tangerine and strain the liquid into a small jar or bowl. Add the mustard, sherry or fig balsamic vinegar, salt to taste, and ground fennel seeds. Shake or whisk until emulsified.

  • Step 5

    Place the arugula in a salad serving bowl and toss with the onions and about half the dressing. Add the nuts, tangerine slices, and beet slices to the salad and drizzle the remaining dressing over the top. Serve.

    Photo from Macmillan