Roasted Beet and Apple Salad

🧾Ingredient Notes

• Roasted Beets- You can use red beets or golden beets for this recipe. Just like in my Vegan Poke Bowl recipe I often take a shortcut and buy pre-roasted beets. Or you can roast your own.
• Watercress- I serve this year-round, substituting other greens like kale or arugula when we can't get our hands on good quality watercress.
• Green Apple- I used a granny smith apples but any tart, firm green apple works.
• Radishes- This recipe uses a basic radish but a French breakfast radish or even watermelon radishes would work.
• Sunflower Seeds- This salad needed a nut or seed addition and sunflower seeds hit the bill. You can also try pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds) or walnuts. Always unsalted!
• Mustard Vinaigrette- A tangy homemade dressing of dijon, lemon juice, olive oil, and vinegar. If you aren't a fan of mustard try our poppy seed vinaigrette or basil balsamic dressing.

💭 How to Roast Beets for a Salad

When making a small number of beets, like for a salad, I prefer to roast them whole, with peels still on, and in aluminum foil.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Prep the beets. If the beets still have their leafy tops, cut off the tops close to the tops of the beet, leaving about 1 inch of stem for you to grip. You will need this later! Clean the beets thoroughly, then place on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil. Wrap them loosely in the foil. It is easiest to wrap them individually as beets tend to vary in size and will be done at different times.
3. Roast the beets. Place the wrapped beets directly on the oven rack. Roast for 50 to 60 minutes. Beets are done when a fork slides easily to the center of the beet.
4. Peel the beets. Set the beets aside until cool enough to handle. You can peel using a paper towel or with a butter knife or spoon.

⏲️How to Make Beet Apple Salad

Prep the Veggies

To clean the watercress, start by cutting off the stems. Then, rinse the watercress thoroughly under cold running water. Use your hands to gently swish the watercress around in the water to remove any dirt or debris. You can also use a salad spinner or a colander to rinse the watercress if desired.

Once the watercress is clean, be sure to dry it thoroughly. You can use a clean towel to pat the watercress dry, or you can place it in a salad spinner or colander and allow it to air dry for a few minutes.

Your beets, apples, and radishes should be julienned. Meaning cutting into thin matchsticks.

Make the Salad Dressing

You can make this French-style dressing in a blender but I find it just as easy to add to a mason jar and shake until combined. season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Assemble and Serve

Add all the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl or directly into your serving dish. Drizzle over half the dressing. Gently toss with tongs. Add more dressing as desired.

💬 How do I stop the salad from turning pink?

The beets will turn the apples and radishes pink if tossed together. If you want to prevent that arrange the beets on a salad plate. Toss the remaining ingredients with the dressing and serve on top of the beets.