We’ve been loving this beet salad recipe lately. It keeps in the fridge for almost a week (it never lasts that long) and makes an excellent lunch when you’re on the go.         

First…. A word about beets.

These are nutritional powerhouses, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification benefits galore. The betanin pigment that gives beets their rich, red colour has been shown to lessen tumour cell growth, in preliminary studies.

1-2 servings of beets a week (or other foods of the chenopod family (spinach, quinoa, Swiss chard) have been shown to offer nervous system support and also to support the health of the eyes.

Beets also support iron metabolism.

If you’re someone who has reddening of the urine after eating beets, it could mean you have an iron metabolism issue. Only about 10-15% of the population sees this reddening.   When it happens though, we think we’re dying right? Until we remember that we ate beets!

As with any vegetable, it’s best to eat beets raw or as close to raw as possible. If you must cook them, steam them lightly for less than 15 minutes and always save your vegetable water to use in your cooking later. Minerals will displace and will be in that cooking water. There are many health benefits to using the saved water instead of store-bought vegetable broth.

Beets add a touch of sweetness to any dish and contain healthy doses of folate, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, iron, and magnesium.

As with most fruits and vegetables, many of the nutrients are stored in the skin so don’t peel your beets unless absolutely necessary. Choose small to medium-sized ones for the most flavour.

Salad recipe:

1 cup quinoa (cook as per directions)

note –this is one of the places that I use my saved vegetable broth instead of water

3 beets

2 carrots

3 cloves garlic

3 green onions

1 handful of Chopped spinach

2/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar

2 drops doTERRA Lime essential oil

1 drop doTERRA Basil essential oil

note – only doTERRA brand oils are safe to ingest.  DO NOT replace with other oils !!

Cook the quinoa and set aside to cool.  Chop the beets, garlic, and carrots in the food processor.  Chop the onions and spinach.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl.   In a separate bowl mix the essential oils, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the salad and chill for a few hours before serving.