Another busy week, another busy weekend. Only this time Mairead and I are both battling colds on top of it all. Aaron took off for work in Toronto a few days ago until Christmas (wah wah) so Mai and I are back to holding down the fort until then.
Yesterday Mairead and I made the trek into Edmonton to see Disney on Ice! I think I was more excited that she was. The performance was excellent but I wasn’t a fan of the $20 parking fee and the $15 dollar snow cone. Yup, $15 for ice. I was the envy of the other parents sitting around us though; I went to the Dollarama the day before and loaded up on glow sticks and flashy wands because I read somewhere they were selling these for $35 a piece at the show. Modern day thievery I tell ya.
So because I’d need to take up a part-time job to afford the food at the Disney show we were pretty hungry by the time we got home. On the drive back I started daydreaming about a great beet salad I had a bistro years ago and decided that I would recreate that for lunch. When I got home I saw that I had nothing else from that salad in my fridge except beets so this was the end result instead. And am I ever glad this is the direction it took! This salad was exactly what we needed after a busy morning.
I steamed my beets this time to speed things up but you cook ’em up any way you see fit. The carrot was more of an afterthought when I just wanted some more color on my plate. Eat a rainbow right? But it fit in nicely in small quantities. The flavor of the Dijon mustard in the dressing was a nice contrast to the sweet beets too. All in all, I’d eat this again. Enjoy folks!
Quinoa Beet Salad with Carrot and Feta
Salad Ingredients
4 cups baby kale
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 medium beets, halved and sliced
1 small carrot, grated
1/3 cup crumbled or diced feta cheese
Directions
Massage baby kale with 1 tbsp of prepared dressing and refrigerate until ready for use.
Cook quinoa by adding 1/2 cup water and the 1/4 cup quinoa in a small pot, cover and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for another 5 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, bring 1-2 inches of water to a boil. Add beets to a steamer basket, reduce heat and cover for about 10 minutes or until the beets are your desired tenderness.
To assemble the salad you may dress each plate individually or toss all ingredients into a salad bowl. Add more salad dressing if desired.
Dressing Ingredients
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Add all ingredients to small jar and shake well. Set aside until ready to use.
By Three Happy Folk
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