Fresh beetroot and beetroot leaf salad.

I had such a lovely weekend in the garden harvesting veggies and herbs. We had a lot of beets. I think beetroots are a misunderstood vegetable. Do not confuse beetroots with the canned ones your g’ma fed you at Sunday family lunches (gross!). A fresh beetroot is almost sweet. They are SO versatile and brilliant in so many dishes, savoury and sweet (yes you heard me!).

I decided to make a fresh Summer-friendly beetroot salad to celebrate the sun. They are earthy and nutritious. If the flavour isn’t enough for you, what about the fact that specific anti-carcinogens are bound to the red colouring matter which supposedly helps fight against cancer? Beetroot also increases the uptake of oxygen by as much as 400 percent. The leaves are full of beta-carotene and other carotenoids! Delicious AND healthy.

Don’t throw away the leaves, they make for a wonderful salad.

The idea of this salad is to boil the beets so you can remove the skin easily. I chopped them into small pieces so that this was quick.

In the meantime I mixed up a crème fraîche salad dressing. You’ll need onions, garlic, dried fried onions, crème fraîche, salt and pepper, herbs of Provence, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Mix it all up!

Here are the portions:

- 25 cl crème fraîche
- 1 onion, chopped up very finely
- 3 cloves of garlic
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 3 tbsps of herbs of Provence
- 2 tbsps of balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil

When the beets are done, gently peel the skin off and slice them into smaller pieces.

Cut up the leaves and lay them in a big plate as a bed for the beetroots.

Add the dressing and you’re all set! I had some grilled eggplant and zucchini from the day before which I used to decorate.

We even had the perfect and romantic backdrop to accompany this glorious home-made meal. Oh and champagne, can’t forget the champagne!

ENJOY! xx

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