Lavender Vinaigrette

 

On my last trip to Minnesota, I had a salad with a lavender vinaigrette.  I've recreated it here, with a twist: I blended a tiny piece of roasted beet with the dressing for a vivid color.  Clearly, this is optional.

Gruesome!

Ground dried lavender gives a subtle aromaticness to a basic vinaigrette, one which works well either to accentuate the aromatic aspects of something like arugula, or to balance out heavier flavors like roasted beet or avocado.

I've been able to find lavender at Jon's (under the name of alucema), and I think I've seen it at the spice station.  I'm pretty sure, however, that you could also just use the flowers from the plant (which grows everywhere) and dry them yourself.

Lavender Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/4 tsp dried lavender flowers

3 TB canola 

1 TB red wine vinegar 

pinch salt 

1 oz cooked beet, in small cubes

Instructions

1. In a spice grinder, grind the lavender to a powder.  

2. In a small food processor, combine all ingredients.  Blend until the beet is fully pureed and mixed into the dressing.

More beet violence

Gingerbread pancakes from Vegan Brunch