Beetroot and Citric Salad
Soups are a popular choice as a festive Christmas menu starter, but we almost prefer a fresh salad for the occasion. You doubt that there is enough seasonal produce in winter? Well, then you've probably never tried the combination of citrus fruits with beetroot – it does sound daring at first, but it's surprisingly delicious! Grab some beetroot, oranges, grapefruits (or even blood oranges), and let's go! All you need to do is cutting ingredients, mixing the dressing, and toasting nuts for the topping. You could prepare the salad in advance, but we recommend not doing this a day ahead as the citrus fruits and beetroot could dry out a bit. You can add the dressing right away, but it's best to add the toasted nuts and fresh mint just before serving.
We already revised this recipe once: we started out using cooked beetroot and then asked ourselves why? Raw beetroot is edible, contains the most nutrients, and its crunchy consistency is a great contrast to the juicy citrus slices. However, it's said that toddlers and people with kidney problems should be careful with raw beetroot, so in these cases, opt for pre-cooked beetroot instead.
If you don't like almonds, use any other nuts as a crunchy topping. This salad also tastes great with pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil.
Beetroot and Citric Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 beetroot (fresh)
- 2 oranges
- 1 grapefruit
For the dressing:
- 3 tbsp (1.5 oz) olive oil
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) dark balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp (0.5 oz) agave syrup
- 0.5 tsp mustard
- salt
- pepper
For serving:
- sliced almonds
- fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Cut off the peel of the oranges and grapefruit with a knife so as little of the white part of the peel remains on them as possible. Wash the beetroot, peel if necessary (if it's very dirty), and then cut the beet into paper-thin slices with a vegetable peeler.
Distribute the orange, grapefruit, and beetroot slices on a large serving plate.
For the dressing, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, agave syrup, and mustard, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Distribute the dressing over the salad.
Carefully toast the sliced almonds in a pan without oil until golden brown. Then distribute them on the salad along with fresh mint leaves.
