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Citrus Beet Salad with Lemon Balm Pesto Recipe

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author Florentina

Ingredients

  • For The Lemon Balm Pesto
  • 1 leaves bunch Lemon Balm only
  • Lemon zest from 1 lemon organic
  • Lemon juice from 1 lemon organic
  • 1/3 c Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 c Pine nuts toasted
  • 1-2 tbsp wild raw Honey to your taste
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • For The Salad
  • 1 red grapefruit
  • 1 white grapefruit
  • 1 sweet orange or mandarin
  • 2 red beets

Instructions

  • To make the lemon balm pesto, add all the pesto ingredients to the bowl of a small food processor and purée until incorporated but still has some texture from the pine nuts. Adjust seasonings to your taste with more lemon and honey and spoon over the citrus and beets.
  • Rinse the beets well, remove the green parts and save for later use. Preheat your oven to 400"F and wrap each beet individually in some aluminum foil. Arrange them on an oven proof tray/dish and bake for approximately 1 hour until cooked through when pierced with a knife. Let the beets cool off until safe enough to handle. To avoid staining your hands use kitchen plastic gloves to remove the skins off the beets, they should come right off. Slice the beets Into 1/4" thick slices and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Using a sharp knife peel the citrus fruit. Slice them into 1/2 inch rounds and arrange them on a platter, bigger slices on the bottom and smaller slices on top, alternating colors for effect. Top them with the sliced beets and spoon some of the lemon balm pesto over the top. Alternatively you can arrange individual serving plates for each guest at the dinner table.