Luscious Beet Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

This recipe was inspired by Jeff Basom and his friend Tara.  I love it because it uses the whole beet, greens and all.  Adds beautiful color and a bounty of vitamins to a simple meal.  Perfect with White Bean and Kale Minestrone or Squash and Raisin Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Recipe reprinted from Feeding the Whole Family.

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Salad:
4 large beets with greens
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 bunch beet greens
3 cups fresh arugula, washed and spun dry
2 scallions, finely chopped
¼ pound feta cheese

Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well and set aside.

Remove greens from beets.  Wash beets and place in a large pot covered with water, bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer until beets are fork tender (about an hour).  You can hasten this step by pressure cooking beets as described in the video.  Set aside to cool.

Toast pumpkin seeds by placing seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat.  Move the skillet back and forth over the heat with one hand; stir the seeds using a wooden spoon with the other hand.  This will toast the seeds evenly and prevent burning.  When seeds begin to puff up and give off a nutty aroma they are ready.  Remove seeds from skillet and set aside.  This salad is also luscious with Sweet Glazed Nuts instead of the pumpkin seeds.

To prepare beet greens, follow directions for Quick Boiled Collards (one of our favorite episodes). Just a 30-60 second dive into boiling water then out. Squeeze excess water out of the cooked beet greens and chop.  If the greens on your beets are wilted or puny, skip this step and use more fresh spinach, watercress or arugula instead. 

Peel beets by holding under a trickle of cold water and pushing the skins off with your fingers. Cut into small cubes.  Put cubed beets, greens, arugula, toasted pumpkin seeds and scallion in a salad bowl.  Pour dressing over salad and toss gently.  Crumble feta cheese on top.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Preparation time: 1 hour to cook beets, 15-20 minutes to assemble salad

Makes 6 servings

FOR BABIES 10 MONTHS & OLDER:  Reserve a teaspoon of the toasted pumpkin seeds, grind them to a fine powder and stir into baby’s cereal or pureed vegetables for extra calories and other nutrients.

VARIATION FOR CHILDREN:  Cook the beets in apple juice instead of water and serve plain, cut-up cooked beets.