I was discussing my love of salads with my freind the other day. Salads are so refreshing and delicious and usually are filled with healthy ingredients. I could almost live off of salads. My kids’ favorite types of salads are anything with beets, as they are by far my kids’ favorite vegetable.
It’s funny, but growing up, even though we had beets a lot, I only ever knew one way to make them- my mom’s recipe is with cooked beets, scallions, and I forget what else. But I never even thought about being adventerous with beets, let alone serving them raw, until I ran my own household and saw just how cheap beets were during the fall and winter months.
Speaking of winter, during the colder weather, when root vegetables are what’s in season, it’s hard to know what type of refreshing salad to make with them. Raw beet salad is a sure win, in my opinion. It has the crunch I love and lots of delicious flavor, and since it’s raw, it has the refreshing summery feel to it, missing in many of the standard winter dishes.
I made this beet salad this morning, and sampled a bit. Anneliese, 21 months, saw what I was eating, and asked for some as well. I gave her a few spoonfuls, but she quickly finished them and demanded more, stuffing her face with them. Anneliese approves of this recipe.
You can make it sweeter if you want, by using more sweetener, but in my opinion, it’s just as good with less sweetener.
Raw Beet Salad Recipe- Sugar Free, Vegan Option
Ingredients:
3 large beets
3 green apples
1 1/2 oranges or 2 clementines
1 small onion, or half a medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vinegar- white wine, red wine, apple cider vinegar, kombucha vinegar, or white vinegar
1/4 cup oil- ideally a non strongly flavored oil, but olive oil is also ok in a pinch
2-3 tablespoons honey, coconut sugar, jaggery, or white sugar
Instructions:
1. Peel and grate the beets.
2. Chop the apples small.
3. Dice the garlic and the onions small.
4. Peel and chop the orange/clementine segments into 2 or 3.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients.
6. Let marinate for 30 minutes, then adjust the flavors as necessary.
Enjoy!
What is your favorite way to make beets? Do you eat salads in the winter? With winter veggies, or expensive summer veggies? What is your favorite winter veggie salad?
