Roasted Beet, Orange, & Quinoa Salad
Beets and citrus are a match made in heaven and one of my favorite combinations to enjoy during the colder months of the year. This vibrantly colored Roasted Beet and Orange Quinoa Salad makes a great side dish for dinner or a light vegetarian lunch. Plus, the pink color feels extra fun when the weather is cold and grey.
Why You’ll Love This recipe
Roasting beets is, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy their unique earthy flavor. Tossed with an orange vinaigrette, even people who don’t think like beets will change their tune.
It’s perfect for meal prep. That’s the beauty of winter veg and grains—they hold up well in the fridge so you can enjoy this salad for several days.
This salad is incredibly nutrient-dense and is a great way to add more vegetables into your diet. Just look at these health benefits.
Beets are a great source of vitamins and minerals; they’re high in dietary nitrates, which can help lower blood pressure levels and improve blood flow to the brain; they’re high in antioxidants, helping to fight cell damage and inflammation.
Oranges are high in vitamin C, which helps your body fight cell damage, produce collagen, absorb iron, fight free radicals, and defend against germs.
Quinoa is a great source of plant protein (one of the few complete proteins in the plant world) and is high in fiber and minerals like folate, magnesium, zinc, and iron.
Grain salads like this are also a great way to add more parsley into your diet, which is high in a number of health benefits you may not have realized.
It helps ease stagnant digestion that results in things like bloating, gas, or constipation. And eating a sprig of parsley before a meal can help stimulate the appetite.
It stimulates kidney function, making it useful when increased urination is beneficial, such as with a UTI, kidney stones, cystitis, and edema.
It’s incredibly nutrient-dense, rich in sodium, potassium, vitamin K1, folate, and antioxidants. It’s like a natural vitamin and mineral supplement.
Roasted Beet & Orange Quinoa Salad
Roasted beets and sweet oranges combine with protein-packed quinoa for a delicious wintry grain salad topped with feta cheese and pistachios.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
3 small to medium red beets
½ cup yellow quinoa
1 orange
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley (about half a bunch)
¼ cup chopped pistachios
¼ cup crumbled feta
For The Vinaigrette
Reserved juice from the orange
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. On a small baking sheet or pan, lay out a couple sheets of aluminum foil and top with a square of parchment paper large enough to wrap the beets in. A quarter-size sheet works well. Set aside.
Trim off the tops and root ends of the beets. Wash off any dirt and pat the beet dry. Drizzle a bit of avocado oil on the parchment square. Place the beets, cut side down, together on the parchment and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Fold the parchment paper up and around the beets to enclose them. Repeat with the aluminum foil so that the beets are securely and completely wrapped in the foil. This will allow the beets to cook fully without drying out.
Roast the beets in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Unwrap and set aside to cool.
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh colander and drain well. Place in a small pot with a scant cup of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed.
Once the quinoa is cooked, remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
To supreme the orange, slice off both ends of the orange to create flat surfaces. Place the orange on one of the flat ends and, using a sharp knife, carefully cut along the curve of the fruit to remove the peel and white pitch from the orange.
Holding the peeled orange in one hand over a bowl to catch any juices, locate the membranes that separate the segments. They will be thin, white lines running between the segments. With the knife parallel to the membrane, gently cut on one side of it, releasing the segment from the orange. Repeat this process on the other side of the membrane to free the segment completely. Continue this process for each segment.
Set the orange segments aside. Squeeze the remaining membrane over a bowl to extract any remaining juice. Set aside. Cut each orange segment into two to three bite-sized pieces.
Roughly chop the pistachios and parsley.
Once the beets have cooled enough to handle, remove the peel by rubbing it off with a paper towel. Then dice the beets into bite-sized pieces.
In a small jar, combine the olive oil, reserved orange juice, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa, beets, oranges, and parsley. Drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and vinaigrette, as desired.
Top with pistachios and feta cheese and enjoy.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
RECIPE NOTES:
If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a great video on how to supreme an orange: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS1_FC2jihw
NOTE: The information in this post is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
