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This chopped salad was inspired by my incessant need to not let anything go to waste, that includes beet greens. Truth be told, though, if I was able to somehow suppress this part of me, I would overlook these hardy, dark leafy greens and head straight for the individual beetroots every time. I try searching for the “perfect” looking ones (sound familiar?) even though such efforts may be pointless. Or are they? 😉 Nonetheless, I have my ways. Enter the merciless peeler, able to make quick work of any and all imperfections.
In my CSA box were these gorgeous beets, and just like that, the greens were thrust into my face. I guess I needed this in-your-face encounter, as I had somehow forgotten how much I had enjoyed my last experience with them – Orange, Farro, and Beet green Salad.
Not only did I have the red ones with the greens, I also had some extra orange beetroots. While many sources recommend roasting the whole root (here’s a great tutorial), sometimes I prefer to peel the skins, cut the roots into bite-sized pieces, coat them in some oil, and then roast them in the oven. Not only will the beets turn out crunchier but this method also cuts down on the roasting time. I can enjoy my beets soft as well as toothsome, so the method I use really depends on my mood that day. If I’m stressed out and feeling anxious, texture is always preferred. Always.
As for the beet greens, I gave them a good rinse under cold water, ripped the leaves from the stems, dried them thoroughly, and then chopped them pretty small. To give this salad more body and protein for a sustaining power to last me several hours after my meal, I threw in some quinoa and chickpeas. The cherry tomatoes were sort of an afterthought. I had them on hand, so why not?
Now for the dressing.. I pondered long and hard about which one would be the most appropriate. A bold dressing was definitely in order to withstand and somewhat mask the bitter and assertive flavors of the greens. Enter this tangy Green Goddess Dressing. Although it may seem like a lot of ingredients, all you need to do is dump them into the food processor and give them a good whirl. You’ll notice that I used dill, but you can certainly use basil as the original recipe suggests. I just happened to have some extra dill (actually tons of it) leftover from this celeriac and kohlrabi rösti. Pour as little or as much of the dressing onto the salad as you wish, and save the rest for later. I probably ended up adding about 1/4 cup for my serving.
Add this salad to your list of make-ahead meals as it can sit in the fridge for several days. Since it’s just me and the Hungryman here, we enjoyed this for a good majority of our week.
Creamy Beet Green Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of beets, including fresh greens
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- Green Goddess Dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove the tops and roots of the beets, and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets into 1 in. chunks. Place the beets on a baking sheet. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper and roast for about 25-30 minutes, until beets are tender.
- In the meanwhile, clean, dry, and chop off the red stems. Chop the greens and place them in a large bowl.
- Prepare the dressing.
- Add quinoa, chickpeas, and tomatoes to bowl of greens. Toss with generous amounts of dressing.
I really enjoyed this salad! I had to improvise a bit subbing lentils for chickpeas and brown rice for quinoa (its what I had) and it was great. Still have a lot of dressing but no more beet greens. So this ignited a warm salad lunch-series in this house 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad, Regina! yay for not wasting any beet greens ;). I appreciate you taking the time to let me know! And once again, thank you for including me in your awesome beet round-up.