Delicious and Healthy Beetroot Salad

I love Beetroot, and did you know that beetroot is low in calories, packed with anti-oxidants, rich in fibre, excellent for gut health and also just really beautiful.

You can buy raw beets, cook it and it will keep in the fridge for at least a week. You can buy it preserved in vinegar which will last weeks in the fridge, or buy it cooked and vacuum packed. It is so versatile, and can be eaten as a snack on its own, or sliced on sandwiches, used in salads, (cooked or raw), or roasted with other root vegetables. Definitely a veggie that I can wholeheartedly recommend to eat every day.

This healthy beetroot salad is highly adaptable. In this version, I omitted carbohydrates, but you can incorporate whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, or chickpeas to create a more substantial meal. The dried cranberries provide a delightful touch of sweetness, while the roasted walnuts and sunflower seeds are truly the star of the show. I personally enjoy the freshness that the addition of parsley brings, although other herbs like coriander, basil, or mint can also be included.

Healthy Beetroot Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 adults as a side dish to a protein component. (Think Braai!)

This salad only needs to be packed out on a nice large salad plate to be ready. Very little additional prepping required.

Start with the following:

• 1/2 bag of baby spinach, rinsed, covering the base of your salad container

• 1 glass jar of baby beets, roughly 400g, quartered and arranged on top of the spinach

• 1/2 round of feta cheese, crumbed and scattered over the beetroot

• 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries, scattered over the feta

• Handful of fresh rinsed and chopped parsley, scattered over the cranberries

• 1 avocado, sliced and arranged over the herbs

• 1 handful of broken walnuts and pumpkin seeds, scattered on top.

• Top tip: Dry-fry the nuts and seeds mixture in a pan for 2-3 minutes, those seeds will pop and get a beautiful smokiness to them, providing the perfect flavour

For a dressing you can add a bit of S&P to taste, and drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!