When you want a quick and simple yet filling, healthy meal, there’s nothing better than a leafy green salad piled high with all manner of tasty toppings. This Beet Feta Salad really fits the bill: It starts with a base of peppery arugula, features the winning combination of beets and feta cheese, and tosses on crunchy, refreshing pickled fennel plus walnuts that are roasted for a deeper flavor—and it’s all finished off with a delicious dressing. Prepare some components ahead of time, and it comes together in a flash.
What’s more, our Red Beet Crystals are used in not just one but three ways in this culinary creation to give it a little extra nutritious boost. Is your mouth watering yet? Read on for the recipe.
Red Beet Crystals: A Versatile Superfood for Your Kitchen Cabinet
Beets are bursting with essential nutrients: They’re rich sources of vitamins and minerals, from potassium to folate (vitamin B9), manganese, magnesium, vitamin C, and even iron.
Our Red Beet Crystals make it easy to bring beets’ benefits to your drinks and meals. They’re extracted from freshly harvested organic red beets without the use of any heat, solvents, or chemicals—with just one tablespoon providing 0.2 mg of iron and 280 mg of potassium. And, they’re non-GMO, Certified Organic, and vegan, with no artificial additives or preservatives, so you can feel great about using them in the kitchen.
Luckily, they’re as versatile as they are clean and nutritious. They’re instantly soluble and naturally sweet, making them a perfect addition to everything from smoothies to soups to baked goods, and the list of possibilities goes on.
Beet Feta Salad
Serves 1
But you don’t just have to take our word for it. This all-seasons recipe flaunts Red Beet Crystals’ flexibility, using them in a pickling brine and dressing and as a garnish with purpose.
Ingredients for the pickled fennel:
• 1 large or 2 small organic fennel bulbs*
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp organic sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp organic Red Beet Crystals
Instructions:
1. Cut off the top green part of the fennel bulb, then cut the fennel in half. Take a mandoline or a peeler and shave the fennel into thin slices.
2. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl until the sugar and the Red Beet Crystals dissolve.
3. Add the shaved fennel and the mixture into a glass jar. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
*Any extra pickled fennel slices can be stored in the same container in the fridge for one week.
Ingredients for the dressing:
• half of an organic lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp organic olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp organic Red Beet Crystals
Instructions:
1. Combine lemon juice to taste (can be all the juice or use just a quick squeeze) with all other ingredients together until the Red Beet Crystals are dissolved.
Ingredients for the salad:
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup organic arugula
• 8 oz cooked/ready-to-eat organic beets
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• pickled fennel
Instructions:
1. Roast the walnuts in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes for a nice toasty flavor. While they’re roasting, start building your salad.
2. Make a bed of arugula. You can use more or less than 1/2 cup to your liking.
3. Drain beets of any extra juice, dice into cubes, and pile on top of the arugula. For convenience, opt for ready-to-eat beets (steamed and peeled). Of course, you can use fresh beets, you’ll just want to prepare them ahead of time.
4. Add the feta cheese, pickled fennel, and roasted walnuts (let them cool just a minute after you take them out of the oven).
5. Lightly drizzle the dressing over top.
6. For an extra kick of flavor and flourish, finish with a sprinkling of Red Beet Crystals all over the salad.
Recipe and photographs courtesy of Amy Ortiz
A superfan of our superfood supplement, Amy Ortiz is a photographer, food blogger, and content creator in Asheville, NC. She enjoys living a simple yet enriching life on a farm, raising a multicultural family, and cooking wholesome and delicious homemade food. Amy is the creator of the Señora Amy Ortiz blog, which features an assortment of authentic recipes from around the world and her own original culinary creations. She is also the creator of Spicy Grandmas—a YouTube Channel series—where she learns to cook from the world's most endearing and daring grandmothers.
FOLLOW AMY ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOUTUBE: @senoraamyortiz WEBSITE: www.senoraamyortiz.com