Watercress Beet Salad:

We made this salad for two of our recent family birthday parties.  It's so delicious!  I hate beets, however, so we put those on the side rather than in the recipe.  I guess I'm just a sucker for anything curry.  However, I do love that it has a base of watercress and not boring old lettuce like so many bland salads these days!

I've now made the recipe with both the red wine vinegar and the fresh lemon juice.  I think I much prefer the lemon juice. The red wine vinegar just left too much tartness and we even had to add a little powdered sugar to cut that down.  If you have no lemons (FRESH is important...no canned lemon juice), obviously use the red wine vinegar...just be prepared for more tartness!! :)

Watercress Beet Salad

Curry vinaigrette (for 16 people):

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp. salt

8 tsp. curry powder

2 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated

10 T lemon juice or red-wine vinegar

1 ½ c. olive oil

Salad:  4 bunches beets, scallions, apples, chopped walnuts, 4 bags watercress, 2 cartons crumbled goat cheese

Beets:  Leave 1 inch stems on, rinse, rub with oil, roast in ¼” water at 400 degrees 25-40 min. or until tender when pierced with knife.  Cool, peel, slice, toss with vinaigrette.