Roasted beet and Asian pear salad

Asian pears, also known as apple pears, are shaped like apples and have golden brown skin. We love their sweet floral flavor, and they're both juicy and crunchy; you can use them any time a recipe calls for apples. Also keep in mind that one bunch of beets, which most commonly consists of three beets in varying sizes, usually weighs about a pound. Leave about an inch of stem when you trim the beets, and don’t touch the pointy root end until after they’re roasted (this helps keep the color in the beets and off your hands, clothes, and counters). Save the tops—they're nutritious and tasty, too. You can cook them as you would spinach.