This recipe was inspired by a recipe in the Plum Bistro cookbook, which is an amazing plant-based restaurant in Seattle. Adjusted and adapted for our needs of course. π
Beet & Blood Orange Salad w/ Cilantro Pesto
Each Serving Contains:
- 1 Veggie Serving (adjust quantity to your individual food plan)
- 1 Protein Serving
- 1 Fat Serving
- 1 Fruit Serving
Ingredients
Veggie Serving
- 2 bunches of beets (I used golden and red beets)
- Bed of greens to reach veggie weight (try lettuce, arugula, shredded cabbage, kale, use whatever you’ve got!)
Protein & Fat Serving
- Cilantro Lime PestoΒ (2 proteins + 2 fats)
- 4 oz pine nuts, walnuts, or a combination of bothΒ (2 protein servings)
- 1 oz olive oilΒ (2 fat servings)
- 1 bunch cilantro (or use basil if you don’t like cilantro)
- 2 small cloves garlic
- 1/2 large lime (or 1 small lime)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 jalapeΓ±o pepper (optional)
Fruit Serving
- 2 blood oranges (yes, you could just use regular oranges, but these are just so pretty!)
Maintenance Modifications
- Grain Additions: Toss in 4 oz of quinoa, or eat a side of potatoes or sweet potatoes, flourless crackers, rice cakes, etc.
- Protein Additions: Sprinkle more nuts on top, or add chickpeas.
- Fat Additions: Increase oil or nuts, or add avocado.
Directions
- Cut the stems off the beets and boil them whole, peels on, lid on, in a large pot of water for about 1 hour, or until fork tender.
- Do something else for a while.
- When the beets are done, strain them, let them cool, and run them under water to peel the beets easily and gently with your hands. Slice into rounds (or just dice them, rounds are just a presentation thing)
- Peel the oranges and slice them into rounds, or separate them into wedges if you prefer.
- Make the pesto by placing all the ingredients into a food processor and blending or pulsing until it reached your desired texture, scraping sides with a spatula as needed.
- Serve and weigh the beets and salad greens to reach your veggie serving. Garnish with the orange.
- Divide the pesto into 2 equal portions. One of them equals a complete protein and fat serving. Serve atop the veggies and fruit.
- Admire the pretty colors, feel gratitude, and then mix it all up and enjoy!
- Keeps well for a day in the fridge.
Recipe Source: Katie’s Bright Kitchen
hellow gorgeous colors π
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I’ve tried a similar salad once, forgot to look up the recipe, thanks for sharing your version – I’ll bookmark it π
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Sounds delicious. I love beets and blood oranges. Do you think this would work with pickled beets?
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Sure! Try it and let me know. Roasted is preferred, but I wanted to avoid the oil.
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Excellent will let you know Katie!
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Tonight I made the pesto with basil to go with my zoodles and tomato. It was delicious, thanks!
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This is RIDICULOUSLY delicious. I made it twice and the second time I roasted the beets as opposed to boiling them. I used a mix of walnuts and sunflower seeds for the pesto. It’s just soooo company-worthy yummy! This is going to be my summer go-to for bringing to picnics.
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