Roasted Beet, Arugula and Pomegranate Salad

Okay, so if you’re not a beet fan, then I urge you to try this salad. The flavors mix so well together and balance each other out. I know beets tend to have that “earthy” taste to them, but I find that when you boil them and mix them with salty and sweet flavors, they don’t have such an over powering “dirt” taste. Plus beets are so, so good for detoxing your liver and providing your body with vitamins such as C and Folate as well as nutrients like magnesium and inorganic nitrates. Beets are also said to improve athletic performance because of their ability to improve the efficiency of mitochondria, which is responsible for producing energy in your cells. If you want to test the effectiveness of using beets to improve your athletic performance, I recommend consuming them 2-3 hours before training because that is when blood nitrate levels peak.

Anyways, lets get to the fun part, the recipe! It’s so easy, so good, and so good for you too.

Roasted Beet, Arugula and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients:

5 cups of arugula

1 cup of green apple, cut into small chunks

2 medium beets, boiled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup of blue cheese, crumbled into small pieces (you can omit or sub for feta or a dairy free version of cheese that crumbles)

6 tbsp cold pressed olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper and garlic powder

Directions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and place your beets in the boiling water. Turn the water to medium-low and let cook for 30-40 minutes.

While your beets are cooking, crumble your blue cheese into little pieces if it isn’t already and chop your green apple into small, bite-sized chunks.

For the dressing, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder all together into a small jar. Shake vigorously until completely combined.

Once your beets are done cooking, rinse them under cold water and peel the skin off. The skin should come off very easily with your hands, or you can use a paper towel to help peel it off if its not coming off easily with your hands. Once the thin peel layer is off, chop the beets up into 1/2 inch cubes.

Combine the arugula, apple chunks, pomegranate, blue cheese, beets. Pour dressing over the salad and stir to evenly coat.

Serve and enjoy!!

**Serves 3 comfortably.

With love,

Ashley