Warm Beet and Walnut Salad
Written by Rachel, Posted in Dairy-Free, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Grains, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Nuts, Potlucks, Quick and Easy, Quinoa, Rice, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
It’s spring. But, here in L.A. it seems like the weather’s not sure what it wants to do. One week it feels like summer, the next, we’re back to our winter weather.
But, this salad can be eaten rain or shine.
It’s a simple one. And it goes kinda like this…
You start with a grain: Quinoa, brown rice, bulgur wheat, wild rice, or couscous.
You choose your veggies (any or all): Beets, carrots, greens, tomatoes (ok, technically a fruit), or summer squash.
Then you choose your add ins: Walnuts, almonds, raisins, apples, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.
Fresh herbs are added: Parsley, basil, or thyme.
And you’re ready to eat!
Since we get beets year round here, we can eat this hearty salad whenever we want. I had golden beets on hand, but red beets would work well too.
I love the feeling of sunshine that golden beets bring to my kitchen. They’re such a happy root veggie.
Veggies are cooked in a skillet – easy! Beets are a pretty dense root veggie, so be sure to give them enough time to cook (20 minutes or so seemed to do the trick for me).
I love raw walnuts, so they were a perfect choice. Some raisins and apples added a bit of sweetness to the already sweet beets and carrots. Sweet, but not too.
For my grain, I chose quinoa. Packed with protein, it seemed like a great fit for a vegan dish.
Some quality olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon brighten and round out the dish.
The finished product is a warm salad. The beets warm the add ins slightly, while the add ins cool the cooked veggies. You could also refrigerate and eat it a few hours later.
Quick and easy to prepare, packed with nutrients and protein, this one was a hit at our house. Even Tim, who isn’t crazy about beets, thought it was really good.
Happy Eating!
Ingredients
- 1 C water or vegetable stock
- 1/2 C uncooked quinoa (rinsed) (or couscous, wild rice, bulgur wheat, or brown rice with appropriate amount of water)
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 C golden beets (red beets would work great too), peeled and chopped
- 1 C carrots (or summer squash), chopped
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 3 C greens (like spinach, chard, or kale), chopped
- sprinkle cayenne
- 1 t fresh parsley, chopped (divided)
- 1 t fresh basil, chopped (divided)
- 2 T raisins, chopped
- 1/4 C apple, chopped
- 1 C walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 C pumpkin seeds (optional)
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 T lemon juice
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until done. (If using other grains, cook according to package's instructions.)
- Heat a skillet over medium-low. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot add the beets through pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes (or until veggies are tender), adding greens after about 10-15 minutes (depending on type of greens - more tender greens will require less time to cook).
- Remove skillet from the heat. Stir in half of the herbs (reserving the rest for topping), and then raisins through lemon juice, and cooked quinoa. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, with a lemon wedge for squeezing over.
I really love to menu plan. But that doesn’t mean that things always go the way I have intended. Sometimes it means grilled cheese or some sort of re-heated leftovers from the freezer. But, occasionally inspiration hits and a new meal is concocted.
