The first signs of spring are starting to show this week – buds on tree branches, Canadian geese migrating home, squirrels bouncing about, and birds chirping delightfully among the tree tops. It really is a beautiful thing to witness. One stroll through the park and it’s clear that this renewal we feel during spring is common to all walks of life. I just want to soak it all in. On Sunday, we spotted thousands of geese migrating home, all in various v-shape formations across the sky. It was so fascinating to watch, I headed home and read up about Canadian geese online. I must say, they are pretty cool birds (even if I do have to dodge all their poop on walks). Not only do they typically mate for life, but they also tend to come back to the same area every year. Romantic and directionally savvy? Those females have it made!
I’m finally craving salads after a long stretch without giving them much room in my diet over the winter. I just don’t crave salads in the winter no matter how hard I try. My body is now looking for fresh, lighter foods in hopes that the weather will follow suit. This week, it seems to be working…but I won’t hold my breath. We all know how quickly that can change!
I recently started to play around with a new type of miso – Chickpea miso. Oh, it’s good…real good. I’m avoiding soy right now as I try to figure out my recent allergic reaction and chickpea miso is a great alternative (I hear they also make a chickpea tamari too!). This one is pleasant and lightly sweet much like soybean light/white miso varieties. I couldn’t find it anywhere nearby so I ordered it online via Upaya Naturals. Of course, feel free to substitute your favourite miso in this dressing or if you don’t have miso why not play around with making an orange vinaigrette?
Golden Beet Salad with Shallots, Parsley, and Orange Miso
Yield
4 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This salad is a nice compromise for early spring; it’s not too summery or light, but warm and hearty while still being refreshing. I combined roasted golden beets and caramelized shallots with warm quinoa, fresh parsley, and juicy orange segments all topped with an orange miso dressing. The steps for this recipe are a bit fiddly and there is a long roasting time, but if you find yourself with a lazy weekend morning, it really is a nice salad to pull together for lunch
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3-4 medium golden beets
- 10 small shallots
- 1 cup uncooked rainbow quinoa
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 small seedless navel oranges, segmented and chopped (see note)
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
- handful finely chopped pistachios, for garnish (optional)
For the orange miso dressing (makes 1/3 cup)
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (or olive oil)
- 1-2 tbsp light miso dressing (I used 2 tbsp chickpea miso), to taste
- 1 medium garlic clove, peeled
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp cane sugar (or maple syrup), or to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a piece of parchment paper.
- Trim beet greens, leaving 2-3 inches of the stem on the beet (this prevents the beet from drying out while roasting). Note: If you buy loose beets without stems this is fine too. Use what you can find. Reserve beet greens for sautéing, if desired. Wash beets, but do not peel them.
- Place beets inside the pot. Drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll around the beets to coat.
- Soak shallots in a bowl of water for a few minutes. This helps to loosen the skin. Slice both ends off the shallots and then peel all the skin off each. Place a piece of tin foil on the counter (about 1 square foot) and place the shallots on top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Rub the shallots to combine. Gather the tin foil at each side and crinkle it upward to seal the top. Place shallots in the pot along with the beets.
- Place lid on pot and roast beets and shallots for about 1 hour at 375°F.
- Meanwhile, cook the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and place it into a pot along with 1.5 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low-medium, and cover with tight fitting lid. Simmer for 17-20 minutes covered, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
- Prepare the dressing by processing together all the dressing ingredients. I like to use a mini processor for my dressings because the clean-up is minimal. You could also whisk everything together by hand too.
- After 1 hour, remove pot from the oven to check on things. Remove the shallots and set aside on the counter (keep the tin foil on so they stay warm). Carefully, prick the largest beet with a fork. If it slides easily through, it’s ready. If your fork feels resistance, it needs more time in the oven. I had to cook my beets for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, so don’t be alarmed if it takes you more time.
- Remove beets from oven, remove lid, and allow beets to cool until they can be handled. Trim both ends of the beet and discard. Run water over beets and peel the skin off with your fingers (the skin should slide off fairly easily) and then slice beets into bite-sized pieces for the salad.
- To assemble the salad: Toss together the cooked quinoa, chopped parsley, Herbamare or sea salt, and a couple tablespoons of the dressing. Gently fold in the shallots, segmented oranges, and beets. Drizzle on the rest of the dressing, sprinkle on pistachios (optional), and serve immediately.
Tip:
Note: For how to segment an orange, see this You Tube demo.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Happy, hoppy almost weekend!
try avoiding legumes/grains….. crazy I know, but the lectins in grains and legumes, for example wheat germ agglutinin, damage the gut lining and “open the door” for food antigen to escape into the bloodstream. WGA is seen as foreign by the body and initiates an inflammatory response, which could explain your allergies ??? who knows, worth a shot though if the soy, dairy and other eliminated foods don’t seem to be suspect.
heres a good article, which explains it pretty well
thepaleomom.com/2012/03/how-do-grains-legumes-and-dairy-cause.html
Great looking recipe Angela. I love golden beets not only because of their unique flavour but because they are so much less messy than the red ones. I like to boil or roast beets and cut them into cubes or sticks for Tyson, and the golden ones mean I don’t have beet-stained hands to deal with afterwards!
Oh I have just been looking for beet recipes to try this week. I love your recipes btw! But I purchased red beets. Have you tried this recipe with red beet by chance? I know it may not be as pretty but will it taste the same? My iron is very low so they say red beets have more iron. Thank you!
I was surprised to learn the same about your blog— I loved it.I am a big fan of your blog.i am so excited by read of your blog’s content.really great post.Thanks for sharing.
Due Date Calculator
i love salads and it also good for health.. thanks for sharing…
Your recipes and writing are fantastic! As a vegan for the last 4 months I’ve really found inspiration on your site- thank you! I use my own website http://pinchofflavor.blogspot.com/ to share healthy tips and tasty food ideas as well. Looking forward to your next post!
I brought this dish to the potluck I went to this weekend and it was a BIG hit! This will be my go to dish for summer BBQ’s. Thanks!!
Thank you so much for letting me know! That makes me happy :)
I made this last night! Turned out really nice :) A few small alterations to share: used purple beets instead as that was all i could find (combined last-minute to prevent too much colour blending) and i included mandarin orange segments as i only had one small navel orange. I also found the dressing too salty for my taste, so i cut it with additional olive oil and apple cider vinegar (could be that my regular soy miso is more salty than your chickpea miso). Oh and i added fennel bulb (sliced and roasted) for extra veg/texture. Highly recommend!
Thanks for letting me know! Your tips will be so helpful for others making it. Thank you for the tip about miso, it’s a good point about how they can vary with how salty they are.
Hello,
Re: skin allergy…I had to give up hemp. I developed rashes on my chest and stomach, quit hemp and have had no problems since. Watch out for it in soaps and lotions as well.
d flam
I made this and it was very good! I love a reason to use golden beets!
A very good recipe and an interesting combination that I would never have thought of on my own! The shallots were fantastic – don’t skip or skimp! The only change I may make next time is with the dressing. The dressing is very good, but the salad is versatile so could pair well with almost any fruity dressing or vinaigrette. In addition to tasting great, this salad is also excellent leftover.
Just made this for dinner last night (although I used red beets since I’ve never seen golden beets in the stores around here). It was really yummy! My first time cooking beets and they turned out perfectly tender. The whole salad turned pink from the beets, but that didn’t matter. The dressing was so good and just a different flavor than what we are used to. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m a little short on time the day that I want to make this, so I’m going to use steamed red beets. I think that it will work (?).
I just made this last night and it was delicious. Very filling though! One of the very best salads I’ve had. Loved it.
I found chickpea miso in the refrigerated “alternative meats” case at Whole Foods. It’s the first time I’ve ever bought miso, and it’s awesome!
Hi! I’m in oakville as well and have been looking for chickpea miso for quite some time ! Any ideas where you can buy it around here?
hi Victoria, I think Organic Garage has it – have you tried there?
Angela, you make being s vegan so easy with your delicious recipes. Where can I buy Miso (other than online). I live in Toronto so I feel like the options are endless, but I’ve tried 3 stores with no luck. Looking to buy rice syrup too. Thanks!
Hi Kristina, I buy it at Organic Garage in Oakville. Sometimes it’s hard to find it in stores!
Made this last night, the whole family loved it! Only had red beets which turned the whole salad pink when I mixed it, but the kids thought that was fun and it was still so delicious! Added some shaved fennel to top it off. Yum!!
Haha, who wouldn’t love a pink salad?!
Does this hold up the next day? I was thinking of prepping this the night before for lunch at work. Perhaps just leave the dressing off?
Hey Alexis, I love your idea of leaving the dressing off. Quinoa tends to be quite thirsty, so it’s a good idea to add it right before serving, I think! Let me know how it goes.
Hi Angela! I looooove this dressing, and want to turn it into a dip for tempeh or tofu skewers. Any tips on thickening the sauce without losing any of the flavor?