This hearty, comforting salad is bursting with flavor and color. Freekeh wheat is a young, cracked green wheat with a delicious nutty flavor. This low-glycemic food is rich in fiber and has prebiotic properties. As part of a gluten-free diet, it can be replaced by quinoa or buckwheat.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 4 - 6
Ingredients
4 small assorted beets (red, yellow and sugar beets)
3/4 cup (175 ml) freekeh or cracked wheat
1/3 cup (75 ml) crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup (75 ml) sliced kalamata olives
1/3 cup (75 ml) sliced green onions
4 cups (1 l) shredded beet greens
Citrus vinaigrette
1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice
3 tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) miso paste
1 tbsp (15 ml) grated ginger
1 tbsp (5 ml) finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp (5 ml) orange zest
1/2 tsp (2 ml) red pepper flakes
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 0F (200 0C). Wrap beets of the same color in aluminum foil (if wrapped all together, red beets will rub off on yellow and sugar beets). Place the beets in an ovenproof dish and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until you can easily insert a knife. Remove beets from paper and let cool until you can handle them without burning yourself. Cut off the ends and peel the beets by rubbing them between your hands or scraping them with the back of a knife. Slice beets.
Meanwhile, combine freekeh with 1 cup and a quarter (300 ml) water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and allow to cool. Combine goat's cheese, olives and green onions.
To serve, garnish a plate with shredded beet leaves, place spoonfuls of the freeke mixture in the center and top with the beet slices. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad.
For the vinaigrette: whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, pasta and olive oil. misopaste, ginger, garlic, orange zest and chili flakes.
Tip: Children can help peel the beets when they are cool enough to handle. Have them put on food-grade oven gloves to peel the red beets, as they stain the hands.
Nutritional information (1 portion, when recipe serves 6)
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 11 g
Carbohydrates: 25 g
Calories: 215 cal
Fiber: 5 g
Sodium: 380 mg
