Beet salad

So last week, when I brought you the joys of hemp seeds, Mindy teased me and said,
"So what will you be bringing us next? Eye of Newt?"

Oh, I was tempted, Mindy.
And I even found a recipe from Pillsbury.

But then I made a fabulous beet salad with salmon. And since Mindy posted a yummy salmon recipe yesterday, I'll save the newt eyes til Halloween and share this delicious salad during these last dog days of summer.

Did you know that beets are incredibly good for you? And that beet greens are not only edible but one of the healthiest leafy greens you can eat?

True on both counts.

My local health food store had absolutely beautiful beets and I was inspired to do something with them. I looked them up in my favorite cooking book - World's Healthiest Foods. (This book is a great basic how-to on preparing any vegetable you can think of).

WHF suggests scrubbing the beets, cutting them into quarters, and steaming for fifteen minutes, as the best way to prepare them. Then, once they're soft, you can easily peel them.

I did that (oh what a glorious color!) and then I set them to chill.

Next up - the beet greens. WHF says beet greens (like spinach) should actually be quick-boiled to remove the oxalic acid. I washed, then rolled and chiffonaded. So pretty with their deep green leaves and scarlet ribs. 

For anyone who does not know how to chiffonade - here's a video of someone doing it with basil.

I dumped them into boiling water and boiled for about a minute, then drained and chilled.

That was all the prep!

I had leftover salmon so after the beets and greens were chilled, I mixed a simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I spooned that over the greens, stirred in the chunks of salmon and sprinkled some hemp seeds on top for good measure.

Here you go - chilled beet salad. It was so refreshing!

I also made beet juice with greens, but I'll save that for another day.

If you're curious about why beets are so healthy, our friends at Worlds Healthiest Foods can help. Beets.