Colorful, Nutrient Rich and Flavor Packed Beet Salad

What’s better than a beautiful, colorful salad filled with the most awesome nutrients and minerals for your body?

This is a third generation salad recipe. That’s because I adapted this salad from Cookie + Kate, who adapted her salad recipe from Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10-12 minutes

Makes 5 cups and will serve 4-6 people

Ingredients

Salad Base
½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 cup frozen organic edamame
⅓ cup slivered almonds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
1 medium raw beet, peeled and grated
1 medium-to-large carrot, peeled and grated
2 cups packed baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped
1 avocado, cubed

Dress the Salad
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Cooking the quinoa: rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for about a minute. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
  2. Cook the edamame in a pot of boiling water, just until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. Toast the almonds or pepitas in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to emit their nutty fragrance and start to turn golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
  4. Preparing the beet(s) and/or carrot: chop them as finely as possible using a sharp chef’s knife OR grate them on a box grater. A mandoline and julienne peeler will also work. Ultimately, you want them chopped into small pieces.
  5. To prepare the dressing: Whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined.
  6. To assemble the salad: In your large serving bowl, combine the toasted almonds/pepitas, cooked edamame, prepared beet(s) and/or carrot, & roughly chopped spinach/arugula. Top with cubed avocado and cooked quinoa. Carefully mix them in. You’ll notice in the photo I added several garbanzo beans just because I love them!
  7. Finally, drizzle dressing over the mixture (you might not need all of it) and gently toss to combine. You’ll end up with a pink salad if you toss it really well! Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve.