There is nothing that compares to a Canadian summer. As soon as the sun comes out, so do the people and everyone is racing to get out in nature. From the first sighting of June, the weekends bring endless camping trips, festivals, hikes and exploring. This years summer kicked off with a trip to stunning Tofino, with new and old friends. My beautiful friend Sage served up an amazing Beetroot Asparagus and Goat Cheese Salad. The simple 5 ingredient dish has been stuck in my mind ever since. As asparagus is no longer in season I’ve adapted the recipe to suite the available summer produce.
“Green beans are an antioxidant superstar! They contain a wide variety of carotenoids and flavonoids which have all been shown to have health-supportive antioxidant properties.”
My Sage Serving Her Beetroot, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Salad
Last week our CSA veggie box came with a stock of the freshest of green beans. Green beans are very versatile and are great eaten raw or lightly steamed. If you choose to try out this recipe in asparagus season, you can either lightly pan fry the asparagus before adding to the salad, or simply replace the green beans as per the recipe below. Thanks for the recipe Sage!
Simple Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Green Beans
Ingredients
- 6 small beets greens removed
- 1 lbs green beans
- 3 oz goat cheese organic
- 1/8 cup olive oil extra-virgin
- 1 lemon juiced (or 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- black pepper ground
Instructions
- Peel the beets and chop them into 1.5" cubes. Place in steamer and let steam for about 20 minutes. Keep checking on them, they should be tender but have a slight resistance.
- Wash the beans and trim of the end bits and discard. Chop the beans into 2 inch pieces. After about 20 minutes of the beets steaming add the green beans to the steamer. They will only require 3 minutes to cook.
- Check that the beets and the green beans are tender to your liking and remove from heat and place them in a bowl to cool. You can put the bowl in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Once the vegetables are cool, add the olive oil and lemon juice to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lastly, crumble on the goat cheese just before serving. It is best to add this last so the cheese doesn't turn purple. Enjoy!
Notes
Make it 50% raw: Do not cook the green beans. Stir in 2-3 cups of baby spinach.
Nutrition
Beautiful Tofino, Vancouver Island, BC
Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition, and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.
Leave a Reply