Here’s a gorgeous and tasty salad that’s packed with super foods to keep your immune system in top form. Enjoy it for a light lunch or dinner or serve it to guests. It’s sure to perk up the winter doldrums and inspire your palate.
Beet, Orange and Spinach Superfood Salad
Serves 4
4 small-medium red beets, scrubbed trimmed and drizzled with a little olive oil.
4 small handfuls of baby spinach
2 juicy navel or blood oranges
2 tablespoons juice from the oranges
2 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
7 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Toasted Walnuts for garnish
Avocado slices for garnish
Note: use organic, local ingredients when possible.
Wrap the beets in heavy-duty foil and place in a preheated 400 degree oven until they are tender when pierced with a sharp knife (45 minutes to 1 hour).
Wash and dry the spinach leaves and place them in a large bowl. Cut the ends off the oranges, just so they can sit flat. With a sharp knife, following the curve of the fruit, remove all the peel and white pith. Then, holding the fruit in one hand over a bowl, slip the blade of a small paring knife between the segments, separating them into individual segments and releasing them from the white membrane. Catch the juice in the bowl. Place the segments in the bowl with the spinach.
Combine the reserved orange juice and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil while whisking until the dressing is well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip their skins off with your fingertips and then cut them into quarters and then eighths. Add them to the bowl with the greens and oranges. Toss the salad with the desired amount of dressing. Adjust seasonings. Garnish each salad with toasted walnuts and avocado. Extra dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.
Recipe Copyright 2008 Vanessa Barrington
Image: Darwin Bell