Spring vegetables are my absolute favorite. There is a level of freshness and variety that spring brings that simply makes my heart sing. Most vegetables harvested around this time come in a wide variety of colors, textures and flavors. They are often harvested very recently, like strawberries for instance, which means they are extremely fresh and full of flavor. For that reason, spring vegetables are often packed with nutrients and vitamins, making them a healthy addition to any diet. I love the lightness that most recipes springs brings. Take for instance this quinoa salad with fresh herbs, sugar snap peas, roasted beets and a homemade vinaigrette. It is earthy, crisp, refreshing and has such a beautiful hue of purple you can’t help but dive right in. The goat cheese provides a perfect amount of fat while the quinoa comes packed with protein making this a great side dish or even a complete meal bursting with flavor and color after a long winter.
Let’s talk about beets. Beets are healthy, nutritious and offer a variety of health benefits. They are high in fiber, and contain betaine, a compound that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Beets are high in nitrates, which help to widen blood vessels and improve blood flow, thus helping to lower blood pressure. The nitrates in beets can also help improve exercise performance by increasing blood flow to muscles, which can help reduce fatigue and increase endurance. Best of all they can be eaten cooked or raw. Both cooked and raw beets offer health benefits, however for this dish I highly recommend roasting them. Roasting beets is my absolute favorite way to consume them. Roasting beets helps to break down their tough fibers, making them easier to digest and absorb their nutrients.
Here’s how I prep my Roasted Beet, Quinoa salad:
If you can, you want to find beets that are still connected to their leaves. This ensures you get the most flavor for your buck. Alternatively, if you live in an area that doesn’t supply these root vegetables with their leafy greens still attached you can buy them roasted, peel, prepped and already ready to go. If you are roasting them yourself make sure to clean the exterior of the skins really well (preferably with a vegetable brush) as they can hold a lot of dirt on their skin. Pat them dry then add each beet to a small square of aluminum foil. You will want the foil to be just big enough to cover the beet individually. Drizzle some olive oil on them and sprinkle with a little salt & pepper. Wrap each beet like a baby and twist to seal at the top like a Hershey’s kiss wrapper. This will help the juices stay contained in the foil to prevent leaking while cooking.
Roasted beet quinoa salad recipe:
1 cup cooked beets, cut into small half inch squares
1 cup quinoa
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup sugar snow peas, roughly chopped
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
handful of fresh herbs like dill & mint, roughly chopped
Goat cheese
2 cups spring lettuce of your choice, I used a mix of arugula, frisée and mesclun
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small shallot, diced
1/4 cup neutral oil (I used half extra virgin oil oil & half grapeseed oil)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp herbes de provence
pepper
To start prepare you beets if your roasting them. Preheat oven to 350º. Wash your beets and wrap each beet individual with aluminum foil. Leave enough space at the top to drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place them a baking sheet and roast in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour until easily pierced with a knife. Set aside to let cool. If not roasting and simply using precooked beets, chop then into half inch squares and set aside. Something to note is beets are rich in color and can stain just about anything they touch, so wear gloves if that bothers you and wear and apron to prep them. If roasting beets, once cooled use the aluminum foil you cooked them in to scrap off the skin. Chop into 1/2 inch squares and set aside.
Cook your quinoa according to package instructions replacing water with broth. While your quinoa cooks prepare all your other vegetables. Rinse and chop your sugar snap peas, chop your almonds and prepare your vinaigrette. Chop your shallots, mince your garlic. Add to a small mason jar or bowl. Pour in your honey, red wine and balsamic vinegar plus salt and pepper. Give a little shake or stir to combine. Drizzle in your oil and shake or stir again until thoroughly mixed. Once quinoa has finished cooking add to a big salad bowl and let cool until warm before adding other ingredients. Then add your beets, sugar snap peas and almonds. Give a stir. Drizzle 1/3 of the vinaigrette and stir again. Fold in your lettuce and herbs until evenly distributed then drizzle in a little more vinaigrette. Top with small chunks of goat cheese and a little more herbs then drizzle in remaining vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy!
