Beets are a unique, root vegetable. It seems either you love them, or you hate them. I love them. They have lots of anti-oxidants and are just plain good for you. Beets really aren’t all that high in iron as many of our mothers used as an argument to get us to eat beets. I always think people thought they were high in iron because they look like iron. Who knows? Anyway, I love my beet salad. Lucky for me I live with one of these ‘beet-haters’ so I get to eat the entire beet salad!
Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons aged, balsamic vinegar
1-tablespoon whole grain mustard
1-tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon black pepper
1-teaspoon chili powder
Salad
1 1/2 cups cooked beets you have cut into match sticks
1 ½ cup shredded cabbage*
1/4 cup shredded carrot*
½ cup peeled and cubed firm pear
2-3 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese
Mix the dressing ingredients together and set aside. You’ll need about 5-6 cooked beets to end with the 1 1/2 cup of beets cut into match sticks. Trim the ends of the beets and scrub. Microwave them until just soft, about 4 minutes. (This may vary with your microwave.) Allow the beets to cool just enough to handle them and peel them. If the beets completely cool they can be hard to peel. Allow the beets to finish cooling before you cut them. Add the cabbage and carrot and stir. Add 3 – 4 tablespoons of the dressing to the beet mixture and toss to lightly coat. Add the cubed pear and slivered, fresh, mozzarella cheese. Toss again. This is good served immediately or when thoroughly chilled. Garnish with toasted almonds or walnuts and salt only when spooned into individual servings.
*I often substitute the shredded cabbage and carrots mixture for 1-¾ cup of a coleslaw mix from the grocery store.
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