Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa and Spinach (Tender, Crisp and Irresistible)

• Food: Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa, and Spinach
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

With superfoods like carrot, quinoa, spinach, edamame, and avocado, this nutritious beet salad recipe will help you reset. This salad is just as tasty and nutritious as its vibrant colors suggest.

Tender, crisp, and delicious, this beet salad is a must-try! The light dressing of apple cider, lime, and herbs ties everything together.

Yesterday was not a good day for me. Will I ever learn? I stayed up too late the night before. I had lasagna for breakfast, forgot a few key items on my grocery list, and collapsed in yoga class. Several times. Maybe it was just another ordinary day.

I put together this vibrant beet salad with store-bought items and some changes based on what I had on hand.

It’s a meal-in-a-bowl variation of my basic beet and arugula salad, which helped me achieve some much-needed equilibrium during a particularly dreadful day. The recipe comes from my friend Ali Maffucci’s fantastic new cookbook, Inspiralized.

Tips for Beet Salad

In the original recipe, two beets were used instead of one, one carrot was used instead of cilantro, and chopped mint was used instead of cilantro. I roasted the nuts (a bother, but it adds so much flavor!) and tweaked the dressing. I really like how it turned out.

Because I don’t own a spiralizer (the device that converts vegetables into noodles), I chose a recipe that didn’t necessitate one (although you will need one if you purchase the book).

I used my mandoline and julienne peeler to get the job done. (Affiliate links are used in this content.)

Don’t worry if you don’t have any of those items, though! This salad can also be made with a sharp chef’s knife. (Or, better yet, Charlotte used her box grater to grate the beet and carrot!)

Beet Salad

With superfoods like carrot, quinoa, spinach, edamame, and avocado, this nutritious beet salad recipe will help you reset. It’s as vibrant as it is healthy!

Two meal-sized salads or four side salads can be made from this recipe. If you’re going to have leftovers, keep the greens separate from the rest of the ingredients and toss them right before serving.

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup frozen organic edamame
• ⅓ cup slivered almonds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
• 1 medium raw beet, peeled
• 1 medium-to-large carrot (or 1 additional medium beet), peeled
• 2 cups packed baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped
• 1 avocado, cubed

Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
• ½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To cook the quinoa, rinse it for a minute or two in a fine-mesh strainer under running water. Combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup of water in a medium-sized pot. Bring the mixture to a mild boil, then cover and cook for 15 minutes on a low heat setting. Remove the quinoa from the heat and set it aside for 5 minutes, covered. Cover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork to remove any excess water. Remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool.
2. To cook the edamame, bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the frozen edamame and cook for 5 minutes, or until the beans are warm. Drain the water and set it aside.
3. To toast the almonds or pepitas, roast them in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until aromatic and beginning to turn brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Allow cooling in a large serving basin.
4. To prepare the beet(s) and/or carrot, simply cut them finely using a sharp chef’s knife or shred them on a box grater. If you have a spiralizer, use blade C to spiralize the ribbons, then slice them into small pieces with a sharp chef’s knife. If you have a mandoline and a julienne peeler (which is a pain), julienne the beet with the mandoline and the carrot with the julienne peeler, then chop the ribbons into little bits using a sharp chef’s knife.
5. To make the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until emulsified.
6. To make the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Toss the toasted almonds/pepitas, cooked edamame, prepped beet(s) and/or carrot, roughly chopped spinach/arugula (see the note above about leftovers), cubed avocado, and cooked quinoa together in a large serving bowl.
7. Finally, drizzle the dressing over the mixture and gently toss to blend (you may not need all of it). If you toss it well enough, you’ll get a pink salad! Season with salt and black pepper to taste (up to an additional 14 teaspoons). Serve.

NOTES

• MAKE IT VEGAN: Instead of honey, use maple syrup or agave nectar.
• MAKE IT NUT-FREE: Instead of almonds, use pepitas.