HAPPY Mother’s Day! I would like to honor all of the mothers out there by sharing this delicious and nutritious recipe that is both beautiful and quick to pull together. It’s a farmers market to lunch kind of thing. The only real step you have to take before assembling the salad is roasting the beets. I like to roast a bunch of beets Sunday evening to store in the fridge and have on hand all week. Or to make this salad even more convenient, you can purchase the packaged roasted beets they stock at most grocery stores. So good!
When my mom and I make lunch together it is ALWAYS some variation of this salad. Sometimes we add sliced radish, sometimes we add walnuts or pumpkin seeds, but it’s always some variation of this dish. And I love it! It is a true festival of flavors. My mom taught me about the nutritional benefits of beets at an early age and we both happen to love the sweet flavor. Our love for beets runs deep…we love beet juice, beet powder, raw beets… you get the idea. In this salad we prefer our beets soft and roasted. My mom was the first person to teach me how to care for myself with food and for that I am forever grateful.
My mom and I make a pretty good team and always have SO much fun together. I know this because we have had a few gigs working together. We work hard, but behind the scenes we are constantly laughing our bums off. We dressed up in penguin looking suits as we catered high end events together… we helped open a restaurant and waited tables together… and most recently we nannied for the cutest baby twins… together. I love when we are together. These memories mean the most. I love you, Ma! Okay, okay… enough mushy gushy… back to this yummy salad!
Some nutritional highlights of this salad:
Leafy Greens – CANCER PREVENTING + ALKALIZING
Berries – HELP WITH MEMORY + ANTI INFLAMMMATORY
Beets – STIMULATE FUNCTIONS OF THE LIVER + ANTI AGING
Avocado – HEART HEALTHY + HELP ALL OTHER NUTRIENTS ABSORB BETTER
Sunflower Seeds – BALANCE HORMONES + IMPROVES SKIN HEALTH
Microgreens – HIGH IN NUTRIENTS + LINKED TO A LOWER RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Vinegar – ENHANCES CALCIUM ABSORPTION + AIDS DIGESTION
Berry Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bowlful dark leafy greens spinach, beet greens, spring mix
- 2-3 roasted beets chopped
- 2 handfuls mixed berries blueberries, strawberries, blackberries
- 1-2 handfuls sunflower seeds
- 1/4-1/2 avocado sliced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed oil or other oil
- a pinch of pink himalayan salt
- a crack of fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
Roasted Beets
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub a little oil on the beets, place wrap in aluminum foil, and roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes. Once cool, remove skin and chop.
Balsamic or Red Wine Vinaigrette
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Whisk the vinegar, nectar, oil, salt and pepper together. Modify to taste.
