Beet and Orange Rocket Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Okay, my family is in Atlanta already!  Jim and Melissa ride in the ADA Tour de Cure on Sunday.  They would really appreciate your financial support.  They're only $200 away from their fundraising goal of $5000, please donate if you can.  I'm baking cookies for donors, see details about your thank you cookies here.  Go Team Wolfepack I'm so proud of you!

I actually made this salad last summer and I'm just getting around to telling you about it.  We really loved everything about this Beet and Orange Rocket Salad!  It was sweet from the oranges and candied walnuts, set off by the earthy beets and peppery arugula.  And who doesn't love the tart creaminess of goat cheese?  This salad is the perfect accompaniment for dinner on the deck on a warm summer night.     Once the beets and vinaigrette are ready (both can be made ahead), this salad is easily thrown together.  Since the grill is most likely being used for other parts of your dinner, it just makes sense that you'd cook your beets on the grill too.  This salad can be mixed together, but it also makes a great presentation if you arrange everything on the plate.
I look forward to making this again, especially once our garden comes in.  Hopefully our beets will be bigger than a golf ball this year!
Oh, and just in case you come across "rocket" in a recipe, it's just another name for arugula.
Beet and Orange Rocket Salad Original Recipe
Arugula (from our garden, yay!) Assorted lettuce (I used a mix from our garden) Beets, scrubbed and ends trimmed, chopped Mandarin Orange Segments (I used canned oranges, always soft and sweet) Goat Cheese Candied Walnuts Orange Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Before prepping everything else, you need to get the beets cooking.  Preheat the grill.  In a bowl, drizzle a little olive oil over the beets (just enough to lightly coat).  Create a foil packet around the beets, close it up, and poke a few steam vents.  Place the packet on the hot grill, cook for 30 minutes or until beets are tender.  Remove beets from packet and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before adding to the salad.
Combine all ingredients or arrange them on the plates and serve with orange vinaigrette.

Orange Vinaigrette From Michael Symon's Live to Cook Yield:  1 1/4 cups
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 Tbsp shallot, minced 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp kosher salt 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
In a small non-reactive saucepan, bring the orange juice to a simmer.  Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
Combine everything except the oil in a medium mixing bowl.  Start whisking in a few drops of oil at a time, then add it in a thin stream.  Whisk continuously until all the oil is incorporated.  Taste vinaigrette and adjust seasoning if needed.