A salad perfect for fall and winter gatherings or on any day when you want something healthy, fresh, and packed with flavor
One year, before Thanksgiving, I was looking for a fall salad recipe online to take to my mom's house and it was so hard to find one that looked decent. So I did what I do best, I made up my own. I knew I wanted roasted beets, both red and gold for visual interest and because I love root vegetables in the fall. Then I settled on red pears, roasted pistachios, and crumbled feta for that sweet, salty, tangy combination. Next it was all about color and texture -- red kale for that deep purple color and crunch, microgreens because they look fun on everything, and pea shoots for more crunch and those white stalks with bright green leaves. For dressings I would recommend the Honey Balsamic from Tessemae's (you can usually find this at Whole Foods) or just a basic balsamic vinaigrette. If you're looking to make a meal out of it you can have it on its own or serve it alongside some roasted chicken, grilled portobello mushrooms, and maybe some variation of beef or pork.
Here are some tips I've learned when it comes to this salad:
You can usually find most of the ingredients you need at Whole Foods, I've struggled with other grocery chains to get everything needed in one place
If you're planning to take this to an event, you can mix all the greens ahead of time but it works best to add the other ingredients later so the beets don't stain everything
Don't overcook the beets, fresh vegetables and fruit are critical, and buy the block of feta that you can crumble yourself
The recipe below will yield about 8-10 small salad servings, you can easily adjust for volume
INGREDIENTS:
4 Medium Red and Gold Beets
6-8 Leaves Red Kale
10 oz Spring Mix
1 Cup Microgreens
1 Cup Pea Shoots
1 Cup Feta
½ Cup Roasted Pistachios
2 Red Pears
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
Sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375° F
Wash beets and trim ends
Coat with olive oil and sea salt, wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet
Cook for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size of the beets)
Let cool, then remove skin and slice beets in half and then slice halves about ¼ inch thick, larger pieces you can halve again
Remove kale leaves from stalk and rip into ½ to 1 inch pieces, wash and run through a salad spinner
Soak spring mix in ice water for 10 minutes, drain and run through a salad spinner (this helps bring tired, wilted leaves to life)
If preferred, wash microgreens and pea shoots and put through salad spinner or pat dry with paper towels
Fold pistachios in a paper towel and hit them with a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a cast iron skillet a few times to break them up
Combine spring mix and kale in a bowl and use hands to mix them together
Layer beets on top of the lettuce mixture alternating colors and spacing evenly
Slice pears and layer in with beets
Next, distribute microgreens and pea shoots around pears and beets, making sure not to cover them so you still get that visual interest
Finally, sprinkle with pistachios and feta cheese
This salad looks amazing!