Raw Beet Salad with Raspberry Orange
Vinegarette


Ingredients
(Serves 4 as a side)

3 Beetroots (I like to use a variety of colours but any type is fine)*

For the vinegarette:
3tbsp Fresh Orange Juice
4 Fresh Raspberries
1 1/2tbsp White Wine Vinegar
3tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pinch of Salt 

*If you are growing beets or purchasing them with their greens still attached - please keep these and cook with them! They are delicious and can be used in the same way as swiss chard.


Method:

- Using a small paring knife, carefully remove any roots from the beetroot. Wash the beetroot with cold water to remove any soil.
- Slice the beetroot very thinly (I like to use a mandolin to keep them wafer thin, however a patient, skilled knife wielder could manage without).
- Lay out the beetroot slices in a serving dish.
- In a small bowl or ramakin, mash the raspberries into a pulp with the back of a fork. Add the orange juice, vinegar, oil, and salt, and combine. Some people may like to strain the dressing through a seive to remove the raspberry seeds, however personally I prefer to leave them in.
- Simply pour the dressing over the beets and voila


Health Benefits...

As a child a had a real vendetta against beetroot. I always knew them to be squishy, overboiled, and floating in some sort of can-like residue in the school canteen, and I associated them with my maths teacher’s stained upper lip.
Oh how things have changed! I got into beets when I started juicing. They became a part of my morning juice mainly because I was desperately seeking great sources of Iron in my diet. Since then my relationship with beets has reached new heights and I have dedicated a large plot of land in my vegetable garden exculsively to them. Not only is beetroot a great source of iron, but it is a great source of many other vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, copper, and potasium. They are rich in antioxidents and contain betalain pigment, which is responsible for their colour and renders them very antiinflammatory. They are an excellent source of dietary fibre and are low in fat and cholesterol.
Beetroot is an ideal vegetable for those trying to lower cholesterol, detoxify the liver, support the heart and brain, clean the blood and much much more! They are said to be anti-aging, promote bone health, and are very supportive to women at that time of the month. Bottom line: eat more beets!