Beet root and Beet Greens Salad

Have I told you the story of the beet? It's one my sister shared with me back in elementary school and has stayed with me since. It comes from "The Turnip Tale", which is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. But since those usually get a bit violent and out of hand...I like "The Beet" better. I also prefer the taste of beets to turnips by far. So here is the story of the beet. 

beet roots + beet greens= a 2 for 1 vegetable

There were two brothers, one rich and one poor. The poor one had a small farm in which he grew beets (try not to picture Dwight Shrute). One day he found a beet of enormous size. It was the biggest beet ever, really. So to show his gratitude for the gift of getting to live in such a beautiful and fertile land, he brought the giant beet to the Queen as a gift. The queen was indescribably moved by the generosity of this poor farmer who had so little, but was willing to give his most prized possession to her in gratitude. In turn, to show her own gratitude, she gave the poor beet farmer a quarter of her kingdom.

When the rich brother got word of this, he was filled with jealousy and greed. He knew he could easily outdo the gift of a measly beet, and would certainly be entitled to at least half of the kingdom if he simply gave the queen a better gift. So,  the next day he brought two of his finest white stallions to the queen as a gift. The queen in return gave the rich brother....the beet.

I like that "The Beet" ends here...whereas "The Turnip" results in the rich brother trying to murder his poor brother and then some weird sack of knowledge comes in...and it just gets weird, as the Brothers Grimm usually do.

Anywho...not only do I love stories about beets and beet farmers like Dwight Shrute, I also love to eat these lil vibrantly colored balls of nutrition, along with the dark leaves that make them look like they are wearing an awesome 80's updo.

Since Rachel kindly planted a bunch of beets before she moved, we have been reaping the benefits with beet salad mania. Here's one version that incorporates the sweet, detoxifying beet roots and the vitamin-packed beet greens.

Beet Root and Beet Greens Salad

beet root and beet green salad

Ingredients
1 large beet root PLUS the beet leaves
2 small-medium tomatoes diced
about 10 fresh basil leaves sliced into thin strips
1 lemon
1 tsp acv
salt, pepper, oregano

Wash the beet root very well. You can peel it, but you can also just eat the skin if you scrub it well. Slice it thinly, then slice into bite sized strips and place in a large salad bowl.
Add in the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, juice from the lemon, apple cider vinegar, and seasoning.
Take the beet leaves off the stems (the stems can then be pickled) and lay them flat on each other. Roll the leaves into a tube and slice thinly. Then slice down the middle of your beet leaf tube so you have bite size strips. Add them to the salad bowl, squeezing them with your hands as you add them to tenderize them a bit.
Add salt, pepper, oregano, and any other herbs you like in salads (I added some jalapeno for a lil kick).
Mix well and serve.

beet salad is a beautiful, colorful side dish

Raw beet leaves are a super healthy leafy green - packed with vitamin K, Vitamin A and more. And since the greens are sturdier than lettuce, this salad keeps very well, so you can save leftovers for lunch the next day, or save leftovers of lunch as a side for dinner. Then you can reap the nutritional benefits of beet root and beet greens all day long! Plus, the leftover juice at the end of the salad is deliciously refreshing and nutritious - drink up!

Bonus points: For an added color kick, use a yellow or orange heirloom tomato.

Blue Cheese and Walnut Beet Salad

Stuff I Don't Feed Brian Variation (because this one is not dairy free): 
Blue Cheese and Walnut Beet Salad
Add in crumbled blue cheese and chopped walnuts. I also found some arugula and shallots in the garden and added some of those for an extra spicy flavor kick.



Shared on From Mess Hall to Bistro's Made From Scratch Tuesdays and Dr. Laura's Adventures Tasty Tuesdays and All the Small Stuff Tuesdays at the Table and  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam Tasty Tuesdays and 33 Shades of Green Tasty Tuesdays and Good Cheap Eats What's on Your Plate and Real Food Wednesdays and What's Cooking Wendnesday and The Nourishing Gourmet Pennywise Platter and Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday

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