This is as delicious as it is colorful and healthy. It’s a lovely fall or winter salad.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the salad:

  • 3-4 medium red beets, peeled and cut into chunks
  • ¼ medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 medium radicchio, sliced
  • handful young leaves beet greens, cleaned and trimmed
  • handful sunflower seeds
  • 2 organic oranges, peeled and sectioned
  • 1 orange organic orange zest
  • radish sprouts and orange zest as garnish

for the dressing:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic or fruit vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mild mustard
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon powder
  • 1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup

Directions:

  1. Peel and cut the beets.
  2. Place in a small sauce pan and cover with water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Cook until the beets are fork soft.
  4. Peel and cut the rutabaga.
  5. Place in a separate saucepan and cover with water.
  6. Cook until the rutabaga is fork soft.
  7. Alternatively you can steam each of these vegetables, but do it separately otherwise the rutabaga will become beet red.
  8. When the vegetables are done, remove from the heat, drain and allow to cool.
  9. Zest one of the oranges, then peel both and slice in sections.
  10. Section the oranges over a bowl, so you can catch the juice and use for the dressing, also squeeze the white inner part left over from sectioning as there is a lot of juice there also.
  11. Make the dressing by mixing the ingredients together.
  12. Slice the radicchio, clean and trim the beet greens.
  13. Make a bed of the radicchio on each salad plate.
  14. Arrange the beets, rutabaga and orange sections on the radicchio.
  15. Add the beet greens here and there.
  16. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds.
  17. Top with the radish sprouts and orange zest.
  18. Drizzle the dressing on the salad, serve and enjoy.

Notes:

Alternatively you could use golden beets, but I think the contrast of the red beets and the golden rutabaga is more attractive.