Today, I am pleased to share one of my favorite spring recipes: Beet Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing. As the weather begins to get warmer, we long for lighter foods full of colorful ingredients, and this recipe does not disappoint. Beets are nature’s little jewels: rich in color and in flavor. Paired with roasted pecans, avocado and mandarins, and topped with a homemade lemon dijon dressing, this salad is a nutritional masterpiece.
While you can buy beets precooked from the store these days, I recommend purchasing fresh organic beets and roasting them from scratch. It may take a bit longer, but the process is hands-off and the flavor of freshly roasted beets is something you simply cannot replicate. One little secret of this recipe is to combine the still-warm beets with some of the dressing so that the beets can absorb some of the flavor. Mmm…
A note about the greens. For my recipe, I mixed local baby mixed greens with butter lettuce. You can use any greens that you have on hand, but I love the mix of the darker greens with crispy lighter greens. It creates a balance that blends the heartiness of the beets and the brightness of the lemon dressing perfectly.
This Lemon Dijon Dressing is truly the magical elixir of salads. I enjoy making my own salad dressings, and this is by far my favorite. Easy to make with an incredibly balanced flavor, this dressing is sure to be a favorite in your household too. Tasting it, you would never imagine that this creamy and zingy dressing is completely plant-based. The rich and creamy flavor surprisingly comes from the shallot and mustard, and the lemons add a delicious tanginess. Fortunately for you, the recipe included below makes extra so you can enjoy it on all of your salads.
Enjoy making this Beet Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing and bon appétit!
Beet Salad with Lemon Dijon Dressing
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 large beets (or 4-6 smaller beets)
- 3 mandarins, peeled and sectioned
- ¼ cup roasted pecan pieces
- 1 large avocado, diced
- Mixed greens
- ½ cup lemon dijon dressing + more for serving (recipe follows)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap whole beets in foil and bake until soft, about an hour. Pull out of oven and set aside to cool.
- Once beets are cool enough to handle, remove foil and pull skins off with your fingers (they should come off easily.) Chop beets into cubes of desired size and mix in a bowl with a few tablespoons of lemon dijon dressing. Combining warm beets with the dressing will allow beets to absorb some of the delicious dressing.
- Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss until everything is coated. Serve immediately.
Lemon Dijon Dressing
Ingredients:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 lemons, juiced
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ ground black pepper or Trader Joe’s “Everyday Seasoning”
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy on all your favorite salads!
* Save extra dressing in a sealed container in the fridge.
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