For a shift of focus from summery salads, here’s one featuring root vegetables.

In addition, here’s a recipe for a carrot dish that’s perfect for autumn.

Both are from Vancouver’s Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.

Beet salad with orange and fennel

Yield: serves 4

Orange and fennel vinaigrette
1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp fennel seed, grounded
2 tbsp shallot, minced
1 orange, zested and juiced

Method
Combine salt and vinegar until the salt is fully dissolved. 
Add pepper and ground fennel and mix. 
Add the rest of the ingredients mix fully and adjust seasoning. 
Shake well before using.

Beet salad
1 cup orange and fennel vinaigrette
2 lbs of beets (we used a combination of red and yellow beets)
1 medium orange, peeled and segments (we used Cara Cara oranges)
1/2 fennel bulb
assorted salad greens (we like frisée but you can use whatever greens you have)

Method
Cook yellow and red beets in separate pots to maintain their color.
Put unpeeled beets into cold salted water and bring up to a simmer. 
Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until fork tender. 

Drain and fill pots with cold water to cool beets down.
Once beets are cool to the touch, slip off the skin of the beets using the water to wash off the extra skins.
Cut beets into wedges and set aside.

With a sharp knife or mandolin, slice fennel thinly.
Soak in ice cold water to make the fennel curl.

Remove peel and slice orange into segments.

Assemble salad
In a bowl, toss beets in vinaigrette.
Put 1/3 of the beets onto a serving plate and add the rest of the ingredients to the vinaigrette.
Be sure to add more vinaigrette to coat the fennel slices and orange segments.
Layer salad over existing beets.
Try to finish with a few pieces of everything on top of the salad to bring color and texture to the plate.

Cinnamon-brown sugar glazed carrots

Yield: serves 4

Cinnamon-brown sugar glaze
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 piece star anise
1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Korean chili paste (gochujang, available in Asian supermarkets)
3 tbsp of water

Method
Finely mince garlic and ginger.
Melt butter over a warm pan, add ginger and garlic and sweat until fragrant.

Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine.

Add apple cider vinegar, Korean chili paste, water, and star anise.
Cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture is a syrupy consistency.
If needed, add a bit more water to ensure mixture cooks for a full 15 to 20 minutes in order for flavors to develop.
Remove star anise and set glazing liquid aside

Roasted carrots
2 bunches baby carrots
2 tbsp oil

Method
Pre-heat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Cut carrots lengthwise in half and toss in oil. For visual interest, you can use different colored carrots as well.
Roast the carrots in oven until tender about 15-20 depending on thickness.
To serve, reheat glaze in a pan, toss carrots generously with glaze until warmed through and glazed is evenly distributed.