Roasted Vegetable Beet Salad
Beautiful, vibrant roasted vegetable beet salad. A delicious, light and tasty salad that’s packed with nutritious ingredients, such as beets, cauliflower, parsley, chickpeas, and kale. A great dish for spring or summer dish, or something to brighten up those long (cold) winters.
One thing I absolutely love about plant-based foods is how colorful they are—I mean, just look at the colors in these photos! That stunning magenta, subtle tones of orange, with touches of green. It’s a total work of art! Now, this is not of my own doing per-say, I just put the food together in a bowl and styled it a bit. This is really the work of nature! The colors of fruits and vegetables are just so stunning—and I should also mention, incredibly nutritious. The colors we see in plants is due to their phytonutrients. The phytonutrients are what give the color to the plants (anthocyanins make blueberries blue and purple sweet potato purple. Lycopene gives tomatoes their red pigment, and Beta carotene helps make a carrot orange) and the different colors often have different benefits for the body. If you are wanting to learn more on this topic, I’d recommend checking out these linked sources: fruits and veggies more matters, specific receptors for specific fruits & vegetables, and NutritionFacts.org.
A Few Notes:
- The dressing is fairly light for this recipe, I did that on purpose. I was going for a lighter sauce to let the flavors of the roasted veggies power through. That being said, feel free to double the sauce ingredients for a creamier dish.
- When I originally photographed this recipe, I actually didn’t add kale. So that’s why you don’t see kale in the picture! Another time I made this dish, I didn’t add quinoa and added the kale and thought the massaged kale was a really nice, nutritious addition. Feel free to mix and match ingredients in this dish. When it comes to cooking, the measurements and ingredients are pretty flexible (Baking is another story..). So feel free to add more veggies or different veggies or whatever you feel like to make this dish more suited to your taste.
- Serve warm or cold! The choice is up to you if you like this dish warm or chilled. And you may have different preferences based on different times of the year.
- I find that this makes enough for about 6 people, so feel free to ½ the recipe for a small amount or double it for a larger amount. I really do enjoy having leftovers of this dish and you might too, so keep that in mind!
- 3-4 cups of beets, chopped (about 2 large)
- 4 cups of sweet potatoes, chopped (1-2 large)
- 4 cups of cauliflower, chopped
- 2 cups of red onion (about 1 medium), thick-cut julienne style
- 3 cups of cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans of BPA free, salt-free beans, rinsed)
- ½ cup dry quinoa (or about 1½ cups cooked)*
- 1 cup fresh curly parsley, chopped
- 6-8 cups kale, or more as desired
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Wash and prep the produce. Add the beets, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, red onion, and chickpeas to baking sheets. Roast the veggies and chickpeas for about 30-40 minutes, or longer if needed. Be sure to turn the veggies often to keep them from burning.
- Rinse the dry quinoa if it’s not already pre-washed. In a pot, combine the dry quinoa with 1 cup of water. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes on low. If needed, add a small amount of water throughout the process to help keep it cooking.
- Wash the kale, and chop it. Massage the kale with clean hands until it starts to soften.
- Wash the parsley and lightly chop it. Add the kale and parsley to a large bowl (one that is safe for hot ingredients).
- In a high speed blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, and black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Combine the roasted veggies, chickpeas quinoa, parsley, and the cashew sauce in the bowl with the kale and parsley. Stir everything together and taste. Add more pepper and lemon juice, if desired. Serve the dish warm or chilled. Enjoy!
- *Feel free to add more quinoa, if you desire!
Kristina DeMuth
Kristina DeMuth