Most of us either grill on the 4th of July or we go to a party where grilled meat  is the star of the show. Instead of the typical baked beans and slaw, why not serve a cool and refreshing salad?  This one is colorful and makes good use of ingredients that can now be found in our metro farmers’ markets. 

I liked the salad immediately, but thought a sprinkling of blue cheese chunks would improve it immeasurably. Fortunately, I had a hunk of blue cheese handy and added some. Bingo!  I don’t usually think to pair avocado and beet together, but the creaminess of the avocado tasted great with the beets, the peas (I used fresh English peas) provided an additional texture, and the mint pulled all the flavors together.

This is an easy recipe to make, and beautiful to serve. (To my friends who are reading this, you can count on having it at my table sometime so you may want to refrain from making it for a while :))

For those who might be wondering what beetroot is, it’s just beets. This is from an English cookbook (see link below), and in England beets are more commonly referred to as beetroot.

Enjoy and Happy 4th!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/07/beetroot-avocado-salad-recipe-ottolenghi