Roasted Beet and Tomato Salad with Balsamic Dressing

There are subtle changes in the weather daily reminding me that Fall is fast approaching. The summer garden vegetables are slowly going to seed and the herbs will need to be harvested before the end of the month. This is a bittersweet time of year as we go back to our main home, family and friends and leave our beautiful coastal village. This salad is a tribute to both the summer and fall seasons, the sweet summer tomato and the savory rich red beet. Normally I would garnish the dish with sweet basil, however today I used lemon thyme which gave the salad a nice fresh twist, .

This is a great end of summer dish, full of flavor and color! You can make substitutions that would not change the flavor profile like Heirloom tomatoes or small cherry and pear tomatoes.


Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes
6 medium sized beets
2 tablespoons of balsamic oil
1 tablespoons of olive oil
dash of salt and pepper
4 sprigs of lemon thyme

To prepare:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Use vegetable peeler to remove skin from beets, cut off  root end and top of beet, then cut into wedges. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and add beets, sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt then roast about 40 mins. Refrigerate to cool. (This step you can do the day before if you would like).
Slice tomatoes into wedges and mix with beets. Mix balsamic and olive oil together. Add to veggies. Garnish with fresh thyme, basil or chives. Enjoy!