This week’s Pieday Friday post features some of my top ingredients and this salad is idea for summery days. When it’s super-hot (as it has been this week) and you just can’t face a stodgy heavy meal, why not try this light and refreshing salad? It was created by Sarah Britton and she has kindly allowed me to share the recipe with you all today. Plus, you could win a copy of her cookbook Naturally Nourished in my giveaway – read on to enter!
Raw beetroot is one of my favourite foods. They are crisp yet tender, earthy and sweet. If you are one of the many people who have only tried cooked or pickled beetroot, be prepared to fall in love. The secret to the tastiest raw beetroot is to cut them very thinly. A mandoline is the best tool to create paper-thin slivers, but if you are confident with your knife skills, you can go the old-fashioned route. This salad is vegan, but if you are serving people who don’t mind dairy, feta cheese is really lovely folded in.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side dish
190 g quinoa, soaked if possible, 415 ml water, ¾ tsp fine sea salt, 1 medium beetroot, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, Lemon Garlic Dressing (see below), Zest of 1 lemon, 50 g raw, unsalted pistachios, 1 shallot, sliced, 55 g chopped fresh dill, 130 g mixed green olives, with stones
Lemon garlic dressing
1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped, 2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil, zest of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, pinch of fine sea salt, ¼- ½ tsp pure maple syrup or raw honey
How to make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and maple syrup.
Lemony raw beetroot and quinoa salad with olives and dill
- Rinse the quinoa well. In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa, water and salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff with a fork.
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While the quinoa is cooking, peel the beetroot and thinly slice them with a mandoline. In a medium bowl, toss the beetroot slices with the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Set aside.
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Pour half of the dressing and sprinkle the lemon zest over the cooked quinoa while it is still warm; toss to coat.
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Preheat a small dry frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, toast the pistachios for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, leave the nuts to cool and then roughly chop them.
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Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl or serving platter. Add the sliced shallot and dill to the quinoa; fold to combine. Tuck the beetroot slices into the quinoa (if you toss them in, the quinoa will turn pink!), then add the olives and chopped pistachios. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and season with salt.
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And now, here’s your chance to get your hands on a copy of Sarah’s brand new cookbook Naturally Nourished. Simply enter my giveaway via the rafflecopter widget below and keep your fingers crossed, haha! One lucky winner will be sent a fresh copy of this beautiful recipe book directly from the published so enter as many times as you like and best of luck!
Giveaway open to UK residents only, winner will be chosen at random from all the entries recorded by the rafflecopter widget above. Competition runs from 23rd June 2017 – 9th July 2017. Images by Sarah Britton. Recipe extracted from Naturally Nourished by Sarah Britton, published by Jacqui Small, an imprint of The Quarto Group. Available to buy now.
