This beet salad recipe comes from a good friend of mine who tried a similar salad in a restaurant and went home to make it herself. As with all games of telephone, this recipe has taken on a few new elements since the restaurant rendition. First in her kitchen, and then when passed on verbally to me. Most ingredients amounts are estimations, so feel free to make your own adjustments to taste!
What You Will Need
One Large Beet (prefer organic as beets can be a little porous, meaning pesticides and other unwanted elements can get in to the actual vegetable if you use non-organic)
One Large Bowl Full of Organic Arugula (4 servings worth)
1/2 cup peas (according to taste and heartiness)
1 bunch chopped scallions (you can also use onion in a pinch)
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Vinegar (to taste, I tend to use a ton - about 1/4 cup worth)
Celtic Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
How to Cook
1. Wash Beet with a vegetable scrubber and cut of the top and ends
2. Make a pouch out of tin-foil and fold the ends around the beet, making secure as possible
3. Roast the beet between 350-400 degrees between 30-45 minutes, depending on size of the beet (until the center is soft, test by poking with a knife). When the beet is done, you should be able to easily pull the skin right off. Chop.
4. Wash salad and set to the side to dry in a colander
5. Turn your stove top to medium/low and heat a small pan. Pour 1/2 of your olive oil into the pan. Add the scallions once the olive oil is warmed and cook for about a minute
6. Add your peas and cook for about another minute. Add celtic salt and pepper to taste.
7. Turn off the pan and add the rest of your olive oil to cool.
8. Once it has cooled quite a bit, add your vinegar - this is your dressing
9. Put dressing in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to cool it down a little more as you add the beets, ricotta and arugula together.
10. Add your dressing and toss.
11. Enjoy!
Ingredient Beauty Benefits
My personal belief is that the more you start to think about a meal as an opportunity to do something beneficial for yourself, the more likely you are to eat well. I could go on for days about the nutritional benefits that are attributed to many of the ingredients in this salad, however since this post is essentially supposed to be about beauty from the inside out, I'm going to stick with the more vanity-focused benefits, which for this salad, focus mainly around the skin.
Beets: contain a high amount of vitamin A, which is essential to maintaining and healing damage done to skin. Ingesting vitamin A (as well as applying topical derivatives, like retinoid) is often encouraged for people who are fighting acne. It's known to aid with anti-aging - both for your skin, as well as boosting energy and improving brain function - and what'ss more beautiful than an energetic, sharp woman?
Arugula: contains a massive amount of vitamin K. Research has shown that vitamin K might help to protect skin elasticity, which will keep wrinkles at bay and maintain overall younger looking skin. In addition, 100g of arugula contains nearly half your daily requirement for folate, which helps fight acne and skin discolorations, and is also known to aid in healthy hair growth. I've heard of a lot of anecdotal instances (my own included) where adding folate (or folic acid, which is the synthetic version of folate) to one's diet has resulted in faster growing, stronger hair and nails.
Olive Oil: really is a liquid gold. I can't say enough good things about olive oil and all the amazing things it can do for the body and believe it should be a mainstay in every household. It's one of the easiest way to get monounsaturated fats, help to improve blood cholesterol levels, reduce risk of heart disease, prevent cancer, improve cognitive function, regulate insulin levels (great for prevention or aid with type-2 diabetes). But that's not even close to where the benefits of olive oil end! It is extremely powerful when it comes to skin and helps with anti-aging, reduced sun sensitivity and achieving that overall glow. Omega-3's (essential fatty acids - the good kind of fat) have also been known to help with acne and even psoriasis. It contains a high level of anti-inflammatory properties and vitamin E, which is a powerhouse of antioxidants that has been shown to speed up skin cell regeneration, protect against the sun, and even heal scars and wounds.
English Peas: not only have a substantial dose of vitamins K, A, and folates, but peas are also a great source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which helps to build collagen in your skin. Vitamin C can also help with skin discoloration and fine lines.
Celtic Salt: While most salts are refined, Celtic sea salt has all 82 trace minerals that the human body needs for optimal health. It can help to balance the entire body and gradual intake can even help with water retension. While this isn't directly skin oriented, it's definitely a huge step up from your standard table salt so worth a mention and a very easy change to make in your daily diet.
xo,
Tienlyn
Follow us
