Roasted beets and avocado salad

This is a fresh-tasting salad that showcases the sweetness of roasted beets and the nuttiness of avocado. Adapted from Six Seasons.

Ingredients

• 1 lb beets
• 3 T red wine vinegar
• 1/4 c roasted, salted sunflower seeds (or, pistachios!)
• 1/2 c parsley, roughly chopped
• 4 scallions, trimmed and slice on a bias
• 1/2 c seeded, chopped, and pickled pepperoncini peppers
• 2 fresh, ripe avocados
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Trim the tops and bottoms of the beets.
3. Rinse and drain the greens.
4. Wash and scrub the beets if there is any mud. If the beets differ in size, cut them up so that they are about the same size.
5. Arrange the beets in a shallow baking dish in a single layer. Season with salt, and pour 1/4 c water into the dish.
6. Cover tightly with foil and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 30-60 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat 1-2 T olive oil in a skillet and add the greens.
8. Cook, tossing them around the pan, until they are wilted, for about 5 minutes.
9. When cool, roughly chop the greens.
10. When the roasted beets are cool enough, peel them.
11. Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl together with the chopped greens.
12. Sprinkle with the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, and 1-2 T olive oil. Toss well.
13. Add the sunflower seeds, parsley, scallions, and toss once again.
14. Add the avocados and toss gently.