arugula with roasted red beets, blueberries, and citrus dressing
Spring has moved along, but beets and beet greens at our house have not.
It started in February:
continued through June,
And since I planted these root vegetables in my backyard, our story of beets shall continue. Beets are said to be magical for your body in spring, but learning to like this vegetable and incorporating it into your eating can happen all year. Dr. Brad reminded me (and apparently all I know who see him!) to eat beets this spring. I’ve learned that our bodies are made to cleanse, and if we give them the right nutrients, they do their jobs well. Recently I heard Dr. Brad speak, and he mentioned that the rawer the beet, the more cleansing it is. Therefore he suggested eating cooked root vegetables like beets in the spring so that one builds the liver up and allows the liver to do the detoxing, raw being too cleansing and overwhelming to strengthen and do the building up that is necessary, at least in spring.
This arugula salad has been on my spring bring-it list to everyone in some version, so thanks, friends, for eating my experiments as always. (No, seriously, thank you.🙌 🙏😳) Some versions had watermelon instead of beets since it’s what I had on hand, and I couldn’t get watermelon out of my head or refrigerator for all of June. But watermelon was too heavy for arugula and watered down the dressing and greens. I’ve since played with the dressing (made it better, I think). The favorite combo thus far has been: roasted beets and blueberries, feta or goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, scallions, arugula, and grapefruit/orange dressing.
Oh gosh, and to give all the credit where credit is due, Tim and Ella sent me a picture while eating at the delicious Work & Class in Denver. While I have no idea what it tasted like there, this is my version of that picture and volume 2 of my beet arugula salad, including a few of my favorite things.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/2 grapefruit squeezed
- 1/2 orange squeezed
- 1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil mild tasting oil here!
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the salad:
- 1 clamshell of arugula
- 1 cup blueberries washed and air dried before serving
- 1 large roasted beet cooled and cut into small chunks or strips
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- Optional: 2 ounces of feta or goat cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl toss arugula with a couple of spoon fulls of shaken dressing until all leaves are just coated but not heavy with dressing.
- Divide greens among individual serving plates.
- Sprinkle salad greens with a pinch of salt & pepper.
- Layer green onions, blueberries, roasted beets, goat cheese, and end with toasted pumpkin seeds on top.
- Drizzle teaspoon of shaken dressing on top of ingredients if you wish and save the rest for another salad.
Options: goat or feta cheese taste equally good, add roasted chicken for a more substantial salad rather than a side.
Makes 4 servings!
This post contains affiliate links to products I know and love. I recommend any of them for this recipe!
Often I hear people talk about wanting to change the way they eat, and while there are a bunch of books that will tell you exactly what to eat and what healthy eating looks like, I’ve only found my way one vegetable, suggestion, body care tip, or change at a time. Sometimes, that has meant learning to like something I didn’t previously think I liked, but I keep trying it because I understand it has some benefits. Over time I find myself wanting certain foods that would never have been on a crave list of mine in times past. Beets are one of those things.
While my next posts probably won’t include you know what, give this salad a try and let me know what you think. If you want the easiest way to roast a beet, check out Evie’s tips or tell me how you prefer to cook or eat them.
Enjoy!
~Heather
Last Updated on June 15, 2022 by Heather Bursch
