Brighten up your dinner with sweet, colorful beets!
Beets are a well-rounded root vegetable that bring an abundance of health benefits and flavor to any recipe.
This root contains nitrates that turn into nitric oxide helping lower blood pressure and improving stamina when exercising.
Betaine found in beets additionally helps protect cells from environmental stress and powerful phytonutrients help ward off cancer.
Phytonutrients are also the source of it’s rich color, making it the highlight of this recipe!
Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb red beets, stems removed
1 lb golden beets, stems removed
½ lb French lentils
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp orange or mandarin juice
3-4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
Salt and black pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp maple syrup
1½ tbsp lemon juice
1 bunch watercress
1 cup baby chard leaves, coarsely chopped
Preparation
1. Place the beets in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Cook the golden beets separately from the red beets to retain color. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and cook on a gentle simmer for about an hour, adding boiling water as needed. To check that they are cooked, stick a knife into the largest beet: it should go in smoothly.
2. Lift the beet roots from the water and leave to cool (they’ll keep in the fridge for a day or two).
3. Peel and halve the beet roots, and cut into wedges ½ inch thick.
4. Place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Drain, transfer to a bowl. While they’re still hot, stir in a ½ tablespoon each of lime juice, orange or mandarin juice, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Season and set aside to cool (the lentils can now also be kept in the fridge for a couple of days).
6. To put the salad together, mix the remaining lime juice, mandarin or orange juice and olive oil into the lentils, then add the beetroot, onion, maple syrup and lemon juice.
7. Toss gently and taste for seasoning. Transfer to a shallow bowl and dot with watercress and chard. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Eat up to good health and keep fighting cancer in the kitchen!
