This salad pairs beautifully with turkey or roast pork and is packed with fibre, amino acids, and antioxidants.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium beets
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups water
- 2 cups red quinoa
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 medium oranges
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
- ½ cup chopped pitted dates
- 1 whole pomegranate, seeded
Instructions:
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Trim the root end of the beets and remove any greens; rinse and pat dry. Wrap individually in foil. Roast until tender, 1 to 1¼ hours, depending on size.
- Meanwhile, bring broth, water, quinoa and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large serving bowl.
- Zest and juice 1 orange. Place the juice in a medium bowl. Working over another bowl, cut the remaining 2 oranges into segments and set aside. Measure the juice from the first orange—if it isn’t quite 1/3 cup, squeeze the juice from the membranes until you get 1/3 cup. Add the zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the orange juice; gradually whisk in oil in a thin stream until well combined. Stir in ¼ cup parsley.
- When cool enough to handle, peel and dice the roasted beets. Add to the quinoa along with dates and gently combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat. Serve garnished with the reserved orange segments, pomegranate seeds and the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley.
