BEET, ZUCCHINI AND RED ONION SALAD

This salad was like a tasty rainfall for my taste buds!

Each bite was an amazing taste sensation!

And just as an added little bonus this salad is a great choice for the detoxification benefits it offers!

I have recognized a pretty common theme when reviewing client food journals….

The salad is often neglected and left off the table… and the common answer I get when I ask “Why?”….

“Because they are boring and tasteless”….

This answer always catches me off guard because salads are anything but boring and just the thought of making a great salad gets my taste buds dancing! YES I get genuinely excited at the thought of sitting down and enjoying a great salad…. And I think you should too!

Here is the beautiful thing about salads; the combination of ingredients is endless! You can “build” your perfect salad just the way you like it! It can be a simple 3 ingredient salad with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes or it can be an “everything goes” 12 ingredient salad with arugula, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, green pepper, red pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onion, sprouts and sesame seeds …. Or any combination of fresh, tasty and natural ingredients you choose.

Salads are one of my favourite menu items and I eat them every day…. and they are never boring… and never ever tasteless!

Today I was at my local farmers market and saw some beautiful beets… so of course they made there way into my cart… I hadn’t planned on incorporating beets into my menu planning this week but they looked so delicious and I knew that I could make a few minor adjustments and get these “yummy” guys incorporated into my meals!

Besides making your taste buds dance with joy, beets are also super nutritious with many great benefits like aiding digestion, supporting the liver and gallbladder, among many others that you can read about here

The Ingredients You Will Need

3-4 Romaine Lettuce Pieces

1 Small red onion

1 Medium zucchini

3-4 Small whole beets

1 Small cucumber

6 Cherry tomatoes

¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds

Desired spices to taste

For The Dressing:

1 tbsp. Hemp Seed Oil

¼ tsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 Clove Garlic (minced)

½ Fresh Lemon

Fresh Ground Pepper

To Prepare The Salad

Thoroughly wash the beets, remove the stems and greens (save the greens for future use in a great stir-fry or another great salad)

cut each beet in half and place in a small roasting pan with a small amount of water in the bottom (1/8 cup)
sprinkle with fresh ground pepper
cook at 350 degrees until tender when pierced (approximately 35-40 minutes) set aside to cool and then cut into bite-size pieces or strips

*often times I will cook up more than I will be using for the salad so I have leftovers to use for a future meal

Thoroughly wash the romaine lettuce leaves and either spin or lay out to dry.
Wash and slice the zucchini, red onion and cucumber.
Wash and cut in halves the cherry tomatoes

In a lightly buttered skillet (on medium heat) add the zucchini, red onion and cherry tomatoes and sauté until tender

Add your desired spices to taste (I add half of the minced garlic, fresh ground black pepper, sea salt and a little turmeric)
Set aside to cool for approximately 5 minutes

Break apart the Romaine leaves and place in a medium size bowl or plate, add cucumber, beet slices/pieces and sautéed veggies. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with this great dressing!

To Prepare The Dressing: