Spring Beet Salad

Boost your mood with this colorful and nutritious Spring Beet Salad created by Sharon Meyer, Integrative Nutritionist at the Institute for Health & Healing. Ingredients include orange, red and purple beets, which contain betaine, a super nutrient that helps protect your cells and reduce environmental stress. Plus, this refreshing salad is loaded with inflammation-fighting leafy greens and topped with a tasty, easy-to-make dressing full of rich flavors. Garnish with your favorite edible flowers for an extra burst of color.

Ingredients

1 head of Boston or bib lettuces washed
1 romaine heart washed
1–2 endive
1 small radicchio
1 cup of arugula
½ cup of cilantro (stemmed)
½ cup of Italian parsley (flat-leaved parsley) stemmed
1 cup of microgreens
2–3 small beets (oranges, purple, red – use a mix of colors)
1 tbsp capers
½ cup of Feta (goat/sheep) or Parmesan
½ cup Kalamata olives

Instructions

Wash and dry well all the leaves and tear up into smaller bites. Slice the romaine heart.
- Destem the cilantro and parsley. (You can leave the smaller stems, but remove the tougher ones.)Roast the beets in a little oil at 350° for 25 mins.
Thinly slice the cooked beets.
Put all the ingredients on a large platter, except the microgreens. Add half the dressing and toss the salad. You may need to add more dressing.
Add the microgreens, toss gently.

Dressing

1 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp honey (optional)
1 TBS warm water
1 clove garlic grated
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil EVOO + 1TBS
½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

In a small pan or saucepan gently heat 1TBS of olive oil and cumin for about 1 minute
Add all the other dressing ingredients to bowl and whisk until well combined, then warmed cumin & 1TBS olive oil. Whisk all together for at least 3 minutes.

Optional add-ins

Dijon Mustard
1 mashed anchovy
½ cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
1 heaped tablespoon of pesto
3 slices of bacon, crisped