It’s the kids’ spring break this week and we are at my sister’s in the Czech Republic. We might be disappointed by the lack of snow and winter conditions in general, if the weather weren’t just so beautiful. We are taking long walks and Esther rides her pony every day in the surrounding woods and fields. Meanwhile, my poor sister sits inside, diligently studying for her exam in French that she has to take as part of her doctoral studies. While I’m happy to be past the exam taking stage of my life, I can still commiserate. Apart from entertaining my niece and nephew, while she studies, the least I could do was to supply some easy to consume vitamin boost for her to nourish the hard-working brain cells.
Beetroot is usually cooked or roasted for an hour or more and while that might improve the taste, it unfortunately does not improve the vitamin content. Raw beetroot by itself is not particularly tempting – it can be a little too dry, too “earthy”. But combined with carrots and juicy sweet apples that will tame its earthy taste, and dressed with a little lemon juice and olive and sunflower oil to brighten things up, it is not only super healthy, but super tasty, too. To add some crunch (something I like in salads) I scattered sunflower seeds on top.
At first glance, the landscape of winter salads, in the absence of tomatoes and lettuce, can look a little bleak. But I just realized, there are more winter salads in my archives than for any another season. Many winter vegetables (kale, Brussels sprouts) are surprisingly enjoyable raw, instead of boiled to death. Nevertheless, I’ll probably start sowing tomatoes somewhere next week 🙂
Beetroot, carrot and apple salad
Aim for approximately equal parts of beetroot, carrots and apple – bellow I recorded the quantities I used, but as beetroot, carrots and apples all vary in size, you may need to use different amounts.
1 large beetroot
2 medium carrots
2 sweet apples
¼ cup sunflower seeds
Dressing:
juice of 1 small lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sunflower seed oil
Peel and grate the beetroot. Peel the carrots and grate them. Half the apples, remover core, but do not peel them – grate the apples. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and pour them over the grated vegetables. Mix everything gently. Lightly roast the sunflower seeds and scatter on top.
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