Sweet, spicy, cold, crunchy. What's not to love about this summer salad-slaw hybrid that's as beautiful to dish up as it is satisfying to eat?
I packed this for lunch on a day hike, and it totally hit the spot. It's paradoxically light while keeping you full. While it easily held its own as a a main dish for lunch, I could see this pairing perfectly with some pulled pork as a unique twist on the classic barbecue side.
Use a mandolin (one of my favorite kitchen gadgets!) set to the smallest setting to slice the apples, beets, and carrots. Cut off the ends of the beets, but if you're using pesticide-free product, do yourself a huge favor and skip peeling them first. Why waste the time when that's where several nutrients are anyways!
Once you've sliced everything with the mandolin, use a knife to cut the slices into sticks.
(Note: you could always just use a grater, but taking the few extra seconds to create the fine sticks really goes a long way in presentation, and if you're like me, you eat with your eyes first. And so do your guests if you're bringing it to a get-together!)
Place the apples and carrots into a large bowl. Rinse the beets several times under cold water before adding them to the bowl, so they don't bleed and turn the whole dish purple. Again, you could skip this step, but I'd say if you're sharing, it's worth it!
Add the beets and mint to the carrots and apples. Mix up the vinaigrette in a small dish and taste first. (Always taste as you go. This is the number one tip to becoming a better cook, I promise!) Pour over salad, and toss to coat well.
This will keep for a couple days as long as you don't care if the colors begin to bleed.
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large crisp apple
- 2 medium beets
- 1 cup mint, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- pinch of paprika
- A good pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Using a mandolin on the smallest setting, slice the carrots and apple, use a knife to cut into sticks, and place them in a large bowl. Shred the beets with the mandolin, cut into sticks, then rinse them under cold running water several times (until water runs clear).
- Add the beets and the mint to the bowl with the carrots and apple.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the over the salad, and toss to coat well.
This recipe was adapted from The Endless Meal