In the mood for a refreshing weekday salad? Check out this simple and delicious recipe!
I love making big salads for lunch and dinner! It’s a great way to use a number of ingredients in your refrigerator and also get a healthy, nutritious meal in. The colors in this recipe remind me of autumn – all the yellows, oranges and reds. I used a flavorful mix of Taproot Farm mixed greens, yellow and red beets, carrot, and cucumber. This recipe is easy to change-up with whatever vegetables you have on hand, proteins or toppings! I am all about mixing it up with whatever vegetables you need to use or using your favorite dressings. I hope you all enjoy this delicious recipe as much as we have – happy salad crafting!
Makes 4 to 6 Servings
*Beets need roasted for this recipe – please refer to these instructions: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-beets-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-172827
Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2019
Kitchen Tools:
Oven and Oven Safe Dish (*For roasting your beets)
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
Knife
Ingredients:
1 Bag Mixed Greens of Choice
2 Bunches of Beets, Roasted and Thinly Sliced
1 Small Cucumber, Thinly Sliced
1 Large Carrot, Peeled and Thinly Sliced
1/3 Cup Goat Cheese (*Or cheese/nondairy cheese of choice)
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds (*I used a roasted and salted variety)
1/4 Cup Roasted Pine Nuts
Black Pepper
Dressings of Choice (I used a balsamic reduction)
Instructions:
- First, cook and peel your beets. I used these instructions to cook the beets beforehand: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-beets-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-172827
- Slice your beets, cucumbers and carrot.
- Arrange greens on the base of your bowl/tray. Top with beet, carrot and cucumber slices.
- Sprinkle with cheese, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts.
- Season with black pepper and serve with salad dressing of choice.
- Enjoy! 🙂
- DIFFICULTY: EASY
- 45 minutes
Ingredients
Serves: 4
Big Beautiful Beet, Carrot and Cucumber Salad
- 1 Cup Green Lentils, Rinsed
- 2 Cups Small Tomatoes, Sliced
- 2 Cups Peppers, Sliced
- 2 Cups Cucumbers, Sliced
- 1 Bag Arugula
- 1 Tablespoon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- Pepper
- Chili Flakes
- Sea Salt
Method
As fall approaches and the school year kicks in, it’s always nice to have a few easy recipes on hand. Although we are reaching the end of summer vegetables, this recipe is easy and flexible depending on what vegetables you have on hand. Lentils are highly versatile, and I’ve enjoyed them in summer, autumn and winter dishes.
This recipe is meant to be incredibly easy, with the most involved part being the cooking of the lentils (taking anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes until tender). If you make a bunch of these in advance, it’s easy to store in the refrigeration. Although this recipe has a lot of summer flavors with the arugula, peppers, cucumber and tomatoes, the maple mustard dressing screams autumn to me. It’s a bit sweet and a bit savory, and really ties all of the earthy flavors in this dish together. I totally envision myself recreating this dish with winter greens and root vegetables as winter approaches. Enjoy and happy eating!
Directions
- First, prepare your lentils according to package instructions. I rinsed 1 cup of lentils and added this to two cups of water, simmering for 30 to 45 minutes (or until done). I like my lentils tender but not mushy, so there was still some water I drained from the pan.
- While your lentils are cooking, rinse/chop/prepare any vegetables you want to use in this salad.
- You can also prepare your dressing, which is an easy 1 to 1 mix of mustard and maple syrup. You may have to make a bit more depending on how much dressing you prefer to use (I always tend to go lighter).
- Once your lentils are cooked, plate those with your vegetables, drizzle maple mustard dressing over top, and add additional seasonings (salt, pepper, chili flakes) as desired.
- Enjoy!
Alysha Melnyk is the Founder and Content Creator of The Kitchenologist©, a food blog dedicated to healthy eating and kitchen experiments. Alysha combined her background in biology with her passion for making food delicious, eye-catching, and accessible. When she’s not cooking in the kitchen or dreaming up a recipe, Alysha works full time as an Implementation Specialist and Lead Educator at ECRI, an international medical nonprofit located in suburban Philadelphia that is dedicated to improving patient safety worldwide. Alysha finds her many career passions revolve around the power of knowledge and that equipping people with the right tools and resources will help them make better informed decisions.
