Grated golden beets add a sweetness to any salad and are a great addition to this colorful, yummy combination of veggies in this glorious, nutrient-packed salad.

Golden beets are less sweet and a bit more mellow than the more commonly known purple beets. Plus, they won’t stain your clothes or skin the way the purple ones do!  Golden beets are packed with fiber and nutrients such as folate, beta-carotene, magnesium, and iron. Beets can be eaten raw or cooked, but I love their crunch when grated raw in this salad. Beets can be coarsely chopped, their sweetness really shines when they are grated. Any simple grater will do – just watch out that you don’t scrape your skin!

Note: to keep the salad crispy, it’s best to keep the vinaigrette refrigerated in a separate container and toss with the salad at serving time. You can heat the dressing in 5 second intervals in the microwave to re-liquify, or leave it at room temperature for 20 minutes before using.

Salad with Grated Golden Beets

Salad Ingredients

1 head radicchio, chopped

1 fennel bulb, stems removed, chopped into 3/4″ pieces

3 Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices

1 large orange pepper, cut into 3/4″ pieces

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

4 or 5 scallions, chopped into 1/4″ pieces

3 cups arugula

2 large carrots, peeled and grated

1 large, or 2 small, golden beet, peeled and grated

1 cup crumbled feta (or goat) cheese

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine or champagne vinegar

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Maple syrup

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

1. Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.
2. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together and, when ready to serve, toss several Tablespoons to dress salad.