Red Winter Salad
By: Julia Gagulska
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
As winter approaches along with its associated holidays, families gather around the table to celebrate, spend time together, and most importantly, eat! Often, my family spends most of their time creating a delectable main course and needs a side dish that is delicious, yet quick and easy. With the red winter salad, the course is saved and frequently makes itself onto our menu! Suitably, red beets give the dish its name. The colorful root is not only aesthetically pleasing but has an abundance of nutrients such as fiber and iron in just 100 grams (about a ½ cup), (Coyle, 2017). Fiber normalizes and maintains healthy bowel movements and ultimately has a positive impact on the digestive system and metabolism (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2018). Also found in beetroot is iron which facilitates the production of blood and prevents anemia (Harvard Health Publishing, 2015), a blood-deficient condition found most prevalently in women (Pande, 2014).
Ingredients:
5 oz. Spinach and arugula mix
5-6 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 can of sliced red beets
1 medium purple turnip
½ cup of dried cranberries
½ cup of walnuts
½ cup of feta cheese
Dressing Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
3 tbsp. White wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Minced garlic
2 tsp. Tarragon
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Wash your romaine lettuce thoroughly and cut to equal size of the spinach.
Add the spinach and arugula mix, and the romaine lettuce, to a large bowl.
Peel the purple turnip and remove the skin. After the skin is removed, continue using the peeler to make thin slices, and add to the large bowl.
Drain the canned red beets completely.
Cut the sliced red beets in half and add to the bowl.
Add a ½ cup each of walnuts, dried cranberries, and feta cheese.
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, add the dressing ingredients (½ cup of olive oil, 3 tbsp. White wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. Minced garlic, 2 tsp. Tarragon, salt, and pepper).
Mix the dressing ingredients together until you’ve reached a homogeneous mixture.
Dress and toss your salad right before serving, and enjoy!
Reference List:
Coyle, D. (2017). 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Beets. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-beets
Harvard Health Publishing. (2015). Iron and your health. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/iron-and-your-health
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018). How to add more fiber to your diet. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
Pande, D. (2014). Why anaemia is more prevalent in women. The New Times. Retrieved from https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/182873