B is for Beets: Beet Quinoa Salad (Jennifer)

Hello friends!

So, this week has been a little crazy for a number of reasons, and Jessica kindly asked me yesterday about my forthcoming blog post. I looked at her like she was crazy...did I not post my "b" recipe? She subtly told me that I had not, and then I gasped and told her, "Well, I posted it in my mind!" Have you ever done that? Thought that you had really done something, when in fact, it was only ever complete in your mind? I do that with cleaning my house all the time...haha.

Anyway, with the last week being so warm in LA (cruel, I know, I'm sorry), I decided I didn't want to turn on the oven for the beet recipe, and instead made a beet salad with quinoa. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up, it was my last ditch effort to be healthy before the deluge of truffles, cakes, cookies,  and fudges (which I love, by the way). Enjoy!


Beet Quinoa Salad
from Cuisine at Home Magazine

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. walnut oil (I used 1 add'l Tbsp. of olive oil)

For the salad:

2 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
1 cup diced cooked beets (preferably fresh beets that are roasted, or the fresh variety from Trader Joe's that I used)
1/3 cup each, chopped fresh parsley and mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans because that's what I had)

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

DirectionsWhisk lemon juice, shallots, honey, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Drizzle in olive and walnut (if using) oils, whisking constantly until blended.

Add quinoa, beets, parsley, mint, and walnuts. Toss to coat with vinaigrette. Garnish salad with feta cheese.

 

 

 

Review: I liked this salad so much, I ate it for lunch three days straight! It's really tasty, and I wonder if it might be even better using bulgur (like the recipe originally called for because it's really supposed to be tabbouleh beet salad). I'll have to try it next time. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jennifer

**Jessica's next secret ingredient is carrots!**