Roasted Beet Salad with Goldenberry Vinaigrette

Greens are so vital to a healthy diet; Raw foodists might eat two salads a day to make sure that they get enough protein and mineral-rich leafy greens, which could become tedious if you don’t find ways to perk them up. What I love about “raw fusion” is how by combining tantalizing textures and temperatures, I never find this lifestyle boring.
Yesterday I decided to roast some beets. Roasted vegetables are great raw fusion additions to salads. Sometimes when I go out to restaurants and they have roasted veggies on the menu, I’ll get a side order to add to my greens. Beets are natural blood-builders, low in fat, high in folic acid, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, niacin and Vitamins A & C.
Just wash the skins well, but no need to peel as they will rub off easily after roasting. Cut the beets into manageable chunks, place in a roasting pan or clay pot (I got mine as a wedding gift from Williams Sonoma) with some garlic cloves. I didn’t even peel the cloves as once roasted you can easily squeeze out the soft and fragrant garlic. Drizzle on the oil of your choice – I am starting to use less olive oil in cooking because it degrades at high temperatures, but still love it in salad dressings. For these beets I used a combination of heart-healthy grapeseed oil and nutty macadamia oil. Finally I added some sprigs of rosemary and placed the covered casserole in a 425 degree heated oven. Cooking times vary but allow about 2 hours and check to see if the beets are tender, so that the peels come off easily.
You can place some warm beets over a bowl of your favorite greens – the warmth and moisure will wilt the top layer of greens in a very appealing way. I always save the vermillion-colored oil to use in salad dressings – you can imagine how wonderful that oil is, fully infused with garlic, beet juice and rosemary! Another use for the oil is to drizzle over cooked grains, like quinoa.
Today I made a Goldenberry Vinaigrette to serve over the cold roasted beet slices. Back in March I was on a book tour and saw this on a menu. I didn’t try it there but the concept intrigued me as I adore goldenberries. These sweet and tart little nuggets come from Peru – they are also called Incaberries and goosberries and they are loaded with protein (16%!) Vitamins A and K. They are considered a superfood as they carry an extremely high nutrient panel.
This is my second time making this dressing. Here are the ingredients:
- 1/4 cup goldenberries, soaked in 1/2 cup of water for one hour
- 2 TB. olive oil
- 1-2 TB. apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 dates for sweetening
- Celtic sea salt (to taste)
Blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor, adding the soak water from the goldenberries. Add salt to taste.
Great also as a dip for crudites. Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.
Note: This time I used the roasted garlic from my beets. It was tasty, but I actually preferred this dressing with the fresh garlic.
Enjoy!
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