Digging your Beets: A Quick Healthy Lunch Idea

An Easy, Healthy Beet Salad for Summer

Friends, summer has begun and with it I’m so excited to be whipping up flavorful and healthy salads. Sometimes nothing is better than a big bowl full of fresh, seasonal produce from the Farmer’s Market. Today we are whipping up an Easy, Healthy Beet Salad, perfect for a light summer dinner or lunch, or a side dish to make for a you and a friend!

One of my favorite traditions on a weekend is to scour the market for colorful produce that catches my eye and build a dish completely from scratch using whatever I find and some pantry staples. Here in Manhattan we have plenty of farmer’s markets, from the Greenmarket in Union Square to Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park market.

This is not only a great way to stay on a budget (since whatever is in season will be cheapest!) but also gives you fruits and veg at their peak ripeness, when they are packed with nutrients and don’t have to be stored or transported over long distances to get to you! That’s why I decided to pair beautiful arugula with beets (which are harvested all summer long through the late fall) to create this Easy, Healthy Beet Salad.

What makes this Easy, Healthy Beet Salad good for you?

When it comes to salads, you’re already guaranteed to be packing in nutrients from your leafy green base, but we’re kicking things to the next level with the beets done in two ways. Beets are known to help improve endurance, boost overall athleticism, and are amazing for nerve and muscle function with their micronutrients (manganese, potassium, and B vitamins). They’re also a great source of folate, which is important for pregnant women, and fiber, which we all know is so vital for gut health and digestion.

Finally, we’re adding in some goats cheese for extra protein and calcium, cashews for maintaining great brain and skin health, and arugula for eye health (it is also a great protective ingredient for free radicals in the body, which can cause numerous health issues).

Beets as I mentioned are especially important in helping improve athletic performance (beet juice is often used by Olympic athletes to fuel their workouts). Beets contain nitric oxide, which causes your body to need less oxygen while you’re working out, and thus increases how optimally your muscles can perform.

Your nutritional breakdown, per serving:

Cals: 313
Carbs: 21g
Fat: 22g
Protein: 10g

The Color Code

For this recipe, we are highlighting red!

Color: red (Antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin C; skin, hair, bones, weight loss)
Perfect for: an endurance-boosting easy lunch

What makes this Easy, Healthy Beet Salad simple to make?

Salads like this one could not be simpler. Just throw all your beets into the oven to get them nice and roasted. While you toast your cashews you can assemble your other ingredients in your bowl. A delicious soft goats cheese amps up the savory, salty appeal of this salad, but if you are dairy-free feel free to opt for a cashew cheese option, nutritional yeast for cheesy-ness, or a sprinkle of hemp seeds for added protein!

This one is also pretty hands-off, since most of the cooking action takes place in the oven. But you’ll really find out how versatile and delicious beets can be, especially if you’re not a fan already 🙂 Hope you enjoy!

For more healthy, easy recipes, download my 21-recipe FREE ebook!

Recipe: An Easy, Healthy Beet Salad for Summer

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cost: 10-15
Skill: Medium

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
4 Beets, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Goats Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Cashews
1 Cup Quinoa, cooked
1 Cup Arugula

Method:

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F. spread beets onto a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden.
2. Put half the roasted beets into a blender with the coconut milk and blitz until smooth, set aside.
3. Toast Cashews in a frypan without oil on a low heat for 3 minutes or until slightly golden, set aside.
4. Place goats cheese in a blender and whip until smooth and airy. You can also do this with a small whisk, or a stand mixer, for a minute or two!
5. To serve place the beet coconut puree down on a plate, spread quinoa and arugula about evenly before adding the cashews, roasted whole beets and cheese. Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.