A fast and healthy winter salad of spinach, beets, chick peas and carrots, tossed in a tart and sweet lemon-maple vinaigrette!
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fun time ringing it in! Did you go out to a party? Do tell. We stay home with the kiddos in bed, so I’m always trying to live vicariously. 😉
I’m also D.O.N.E. with the celebrations. Don’t get me wrong. It was a seriously fantastic holiday season and I enjoyed every minute, every bite, every sip. But now it’s time to catch my breath and get back to my normal, simple, healthy, real food cooking ways.
And it starts here. With this spinach and beet salad that I haven’t been able to stop eating. It’s so fast, so easy and I can’t seem to put my fork down once I get going on it.
You’ve got a base of spinach, which is our go-to green around here, and then I’ve layered on shredded carrots (I buy the pre-shredded bag - it’s just too easy) and chick peas (from the can or homemade). I’m a carrot and chick pea junkie.
And then we have the silky, tender roasted beets that look like little jewels running throughout the salad, bumping it up to something really special. Another shortcut: I often buy already roasted beets. They’re in the produce section of your grocery store and they are amazing. (Saves me a lot of time since I’m constantly making beet hummus for my little ones.)
Funny sidenote: M loves beet hummus. Seriously craves it. Has since she was a baby. (She’s now 4 ½.) But the few times I offered her roasted beets, sliced or diced up, she turned her nose up. Then a few months ago, there was a small chunk of beet left in her hummus - it had escaped the blades of the food processor.
She was delighted - it was like finding a buried treasure. And she loved it! So now I try to leave at least one chunk of beet in there for her to find. Silly girl. Silly mama.
Anyway, this is pretty much a bright and happy salad of things I love and adore and just decided to have together on a plate. Turns out they get along so well.
And then the lemon maple vinaigrette adds such a lovely tartness and sweetness and brightness that makes you want to keep going back for more. And more.
This is the kind of stuffing-my-face I’m ready for. Have this spinach and beet salad for lunch or with some broiled fish, chicken or pork for dinner. But have it and kick off 2016 the right way.
Happy New Year everyone! Enjoy!
Start fresh spinach & beet salad
A fast and healthy winter salad of spinach, beets, chick peas and carrots, tossed in a lemon-maple vinaigrette!
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 (8-10 oz) bag of baby spinach leaves
- 1 (8 oz.) package of roasted beets (see notes)
- 1 (14 oz.) can chick peas, rinsed and drained**
- 1 heaping cup shredded carrots
For the lemon-maple vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl - or layer onto a large plate (as pictured above).
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small jar. Cover with the lid and shake very well to combine.
- Pour dressing over salad (start with about ⅔rds of the dressing and add more as you like) and toss gently to get the salad coated.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
** You may substitute 1 ½ cups homemade crockpot chick peas for the canned chick peas.
How to roast beets: If you can’t find roasted beets in your store, it’s really easy to do it yourself. (I used to all the time when I grew beets in my garden.) Preheat your oven to 400. Trim the raw beets by removing all but about an inch of the long stems. Scrub the beets and wrap each one in aluminum foil and close it up into a little packet. (You can put a couple of small beets together in one piece of foil.)
Put the foil packets on a baking sheet and roast for 50-60 minutes. It’s helpful to check them after 30 minutes in case they are getting too dry. If they are, just drizzle a little water in the foil packet and wrap them back up before returning to the oven. They’re done when a fork pierces them easily. Small beets will be finished sooner than the really large ones.
Once cooked, let them cool a bit then use a paper towel to rub the skins off. You’re ready to go! This recipe uses 4-5 small beets (or 2-3 large ones) but you can make a whole batch while you’re at it and store the extras in the fridge for up to a week for another use. They're SO good!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 232mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 14gProtein: 6g
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry
This looks seriously good and like a lovely light dish for after all the indulgence that was Christmas in our house! As a food blogger with a keen eye for pretty kitchen things, I must also say that the dish you've served it on is absolutely gorgeous! I think I like to look at food pictures as much for the food as for the pretty tableware, and have waaay too many dishes than I realistically need. As for New Year's Eve, my partner and I stayed at home too (despite not having kids or anything). We tried to stay up to midnight but crashed around 11pm. When I was a teenager I loved staying up late but somehow I just can't do it anymore. I guess adulthood will do that to you, won't it?! I much prefer a good sleep-in nowadays than a late night! Happy New Year! 🙂
Kathryn
Thanks Lisa, it's definitely a great way to lighten things up a bit but still have lots of flavor! The plate is my mom's - I'm like you that I already have more than I need, so I like to go scavenge over at her house - she's seriously loaded with beautiful plates and serving platters and all manner of napkins and props 🙂 I made it to midnight, but I'm usually much happier to turn in earlier and get some extra sleep! Happy New Year to you!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Happy New Year, Kathryn! We did go out and paint the town red... but we went to a few low key places because I'm not one for huge crowds of sloppy drunks. Anyways, this salad is gorgeous! I am a carrot and chickpea junkie too and I also buy the pre-shredded bag! (<-- why not?!) The lemon-maple vinaigrette sounds just perfect with this flavorful salad - gimme gimme! Cheers, doll!
Kathryn
Cheers fellow carrot lover! Glad you got to see some cool spots in your town, not the crazy ones (not my cup of tea either). Now let's go eat ALL the veggies 🙂
Bec
Oooo yes please I need this salad in my lift, stat! I haven't had roasted beets in ages so I have a serious craving for them. Thanks for sharing x
Kathryn
Yes, you gotta fix that ASAP! Roasted beets are amazing and they miss you 🙂
karrie@TastyEverAfter
Happy New Year!! I need this healthy salad like yesterday! I'm totally with you on being so over the celebrations and eating too much. Last year I kept the tree up until the end of February (my Hubby hated it being up for that long but I didn't want the holidays to end). This year, that baby was down January 2! Every year we go out with friends, but this year we stayed in and hosted dinner for our friends and it was wonderful! I love being at home on NYE! Too cute about your daughter and beet hummus. I'll have to try that recipe ASAP 🙂
Kathryn
You had it up until February?! That's a serious record! But sounds like we're on the same page this year... the holidays were so wonderful but I was ready to say goodbye to them 😉 This salad was a good way to start! XO
Valerie
Wow! That looks so delicious right now! After all the heavy foods that I ate from Thanksgiving through Christmas, I am ready for just a simple healthy salad.
Kathryn
Exactly Valerie! I needed to take a step back and get my salad on 😉
Helen Fern
Mmmm- I know what I'm making with dinner tonight!
I found you on Foodie Friday - Would love to have you share on the What's for Dinner linky
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-linky-26/
Kathryn
Thanks Helen! I hope you enjoy this! And I will definitely pop over to party with you!