Chioggia Beet Salad with Cucumbers, Chevre, Red Onion, and Mint

Hey Portland, thanks for being absolutely gorgeous this time of year. They say you can't count on sun in this town until after the 4th, and so far we've proved the adage true - It's supposed to be in the 90's all week! While I'm nursing my poor sunburned knees and my poor over-frisbee'd-and-beach-trekking body in front of a brand new tower fan (it was quite the intense camping adventure, despite the tranquility you see in my photos!) I've been avoiding turning to oven on, which means lots and lots of salads. Seeing as most of my body is pretty darn red, I thought eating beets seemed appropriate.

Check out these gorgeous Chioggia beets from Spring Hill Farms - a perfect summer pairing with Oregon chevre, diva cucumbers from Groundworks Organics, and mint from my patio garden (where, incidentally, a little cherry tomato is almost ripe!) I like Chioggia Beets best because they don't stain my hands (and the cutting board, and the bowls, and the knife...) so I steamed them cut in half, peeled them, and cut them up with other tasty things in my fridge. I dressed it all with balsamic and olive oil, just a simple summer salad.

Now where did I put that aloe...