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Zingy Marinated Beet and Apple Salad. A simple healthy saladthat’s vegan and paleo friendly, and packed full of flavor! This beet and apple salad is rich in antioxidants, easy to make, and great for a seasonal side dish! Or enjoy with the family andboost your health.
Happy almost October ya’ll. I kinda dig this month. It’s like the best weather month! Cool, crisp, cozy! Which makes it the perfect excuse to dive into my family’s cookbook! Yes, we have a little cookbook and I just adore browsing through old recipes from my great aunts, grandma, great grandma, etc. Which is why I am sharing this updated version of my marinated beet apple salad recipe for you today. New photos, retested recipe. All to honor my great grandma Nanaw’s recipe! She lived to be 104 years old so I trust her judgement with recipes and health. Ha, wouldn’t you?
I don’t think she’d mind me changing the recipe a bit. In fact, I know she’d loved my version. She was the most encouraging woman I knew, plus a badass in life in general.
Okay, enough grandma gushing here. Let me tell you about the beet apple salad. Because it’s pretty badass itself, flavor wise and nutrition wise! And for all you who need some extra recovery for your body (anti-inflammatory and all), you might want to take notes and then stock up on beets and apples after, just sayin..
So what happens when we work out or do any type of physical activity of some sort? Well, our muscles are put into action. They work, then they need to rest and repair. But here’s the thing, the aerobic muscle fibers needantioxidant nutrients in order to continue to function and fight fatigue. Yep, there’s that antioxidant talk again. But we need an abundance of nutrients in order to support this antioxidant and anti-inflammatory system of ours. This is where beet and apple come into play.
Beets and Apples are some of the MOST POWERFUL foods rich in antioxidants. Beets, in particular, are rich innatural folate, which can help thebody build up certain cells that fight other immune weakening cells. Apples are rich in quercetin, whichquercetin plays an important part infighting free radicals (effects of aging and inflammation).
So you see, beets and apples can help our muscle fibers repair and function properly. Which is why they make a perfection addition to your any meal or smoothie
But also, they really do taste delicious, combined! Enough nerdy nutrition talk, let me tell you how to make this beet salad, mmm k?
How to make the most delicious marinated Beet Apple Salad
First, the key to unlocking flavor (and nutrients) is by marinating the beets, apples, and optional pepper inHealthy Fatsand flavorful spices. Ya’ll this is definitely A WINNER for healthy Fall inspired dish.
Here’s whatcha need.
- Beets, Apples, Lemons, Herbs To Garnish
- Olive oil or Avocado oil – Healthy Fats
- Red wine Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- Spices- Cumin, Pepper, Sea Salt, A Touch Of Raw Sugar and if you like a kick of spice, add paprika or cayenne.
Now don’t you worry, you don’t have to tell people all this healthy mumbo jumbo. I mean, you could, but wouldn’t it be easier to just say “Hey, this apple salad is super TASTY and it’s gonna keep you strong!” Haha, I like the sound of that better.
Marinated Beet and Apple Salad
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 8 reviews
- Author: Lindsay Cotter
- Total Time: 2 hours+
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Description
This Zingy Marinated Beet and Apple Salad is a simple healthy salad that’s vegan, paleo friendly, and full of flavor! It’s rich in antioxidants, easy to make, and great for a seasonal side dish!
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 4 medium red beets
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or raw sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard or 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika or cayenne (omit for nightshade free)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce or tamari sauce + ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Lettuce, optional
- Optional Toppings – herbs of choice, ¼ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, nuts, peppercorns and sliced banana peppers (omit for nightshade free)
Instructions
- Steam washed beets in 1 inch water and a dash of salt for 20 minutes at medium-high heat on stove top. Allow to cool.
- Once beets are softened and steamed, peel and chop them into quarters.
- Thinly slice the apple (remove core) and combine with the beets in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, black pepper, dry mustard, and paprika. Set aside.
- Drizzle the oil, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce mixture over the beets and apples. Then add in the dry seasoning mixture and toss together.
- Place coated beets and apples in the fridge (covered) for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to marinate.
- Remove the salad from the fridge and add optional toppings. Place the beet and apple salad on a bed of lettuce and drizzle with extra marinade before serving, if desired.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: salad
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 17.5 g
- Sodium: 70.1 mg
- Fat: 11.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.5 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
And I’m pretty sure my great grandma would like the sound of that too. Hmmm..come to think of it, now I know why she lived so long. Must have been the beets.
That and she practiced Tai Chi every week. I told you she was super cool!
Want more beet and apple recipes to divine into? I gotcha covered.
Apple Kimchi Salad
Beet fried Avocado Toast(an oldie but goodie)
Favorite family recipe?
I want to know! Are you making beets this season? I hope so!
Cheers,
LC
MORE HEALTHY SPRING SALAD RECIPES HERE!
This recipe is part ofour fave Healthy Spring Salad Recipes collection. Check it out!
