Ingredients:
- 1 large cucumber
- 2 medium sized beets
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- ½ a small red onion
- 1 bunch of mint leaves
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
For the dressing:
- 1 1/2 tbsp tahini (or olive oil)
- 3 tbsp lem on juice
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup (or other liduid sweetener)
How to Make the Beetroot and Cucumber Salad:
Cooking the Beetroot:
If you using raw beetroot then the first step will be to cook the beets. For this recipe I boiled the beetroot.
You wash the beetroot and then top and tail it. You can also cut them in order for them to cook quicker. For this recipe I had two different sized beetroot so cur one in half and one into quarters.
You place the beetroot into a pot of boiling water on the hob. Bring the water to the boil and then cook on a gentle simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until you can put a sharp knife through the beetroot without too much resistence.
You can peel the beetroot before cooking but I find the skin comes away very easily after cooking so you can remove the outer skin with a knife after cooking. Just be careful not to burn your fingers. You can let the beetroot cool for a bit or if you lack patience lke me, run it under a cold tap.
You can also use pre-cooked beetroot for the salad instead of raw beetroot. I find it’s easier to find pre-cooked beetroot in many supermarkets and it also makes for a quicker salad, although I do prefer the flavour of freshly cooked beetroot.
For the cucumber, you wash it, then top and tail it. Some people prefer to remove the outer skin of the cubumer. I like to peel it very lightly so that it still contains a little of the outer skin.
You then cut the cucumber into quarters lengthways and then slice into thin(ish) slices.
You quarter the cherry tomatoes then add them to the salad bowl.
Roasting the pumpkin seeds
To roast the pumkin seeds, I place them on a dry non-stick pan on the hob at a medium/high heat. I give them a shake every now and again to prevent burning and after a few minutes you should start to hear some of teh pumkin seeds becinning to pop in the pan.
Making the Dressing:
Making the dressing for this salad is very simple and is just a matter of placing the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar into a jar or cup and stirring with a fork until all of the ingredients are mixed together.
Other Salad Recipes you Must Try
If you like a good salad recipe then I have a few others ones that you must try out.
- Super Kale and Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries
- Seriously Good Quinoa Salad With Almonds
- Healthy Waldorf Salad
- Pomegranate Quinoa Salad
Beetroot and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber
- 2 beets
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 bunch mint
Tahini Lemon Dressing
- 1 1/2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Top and tail the beets. Cut them in half (or quarters if they are big) and add them to a pot of boiling water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer.
- Cook the beets for 20 to 30 minutes until a sharp knife can go through them without much resistance. Once cooked remove the beets from the heat, drain and add cold water to help cool them.
- Top and tail the cucumber. Peel lightly if you wish or leave the skin on. Cut into quarters lenghways and then cut into thin(ish slices). Add to a salad bowl.
- Quarter the cherry tomatoes and add to the salad bowl
- Put a pan on a medium-high heat on the hob. Add the pumpkin seeds and keep them moving around the pan regularly. Cook for around 6 minutes. Once they start popping they are nearly ready. Remove from the heat once they start to slightly change colour and you can smell them roasting. Be careful not to leave on the heat too long of they will burn.
- Once the beets are cooked, remove the skin with with a knife. It should come off easily. Cut the beets into small cubes and add to the salad bowl.
- Add the pumkin seeds to the salad bowl.
- Remove the mint leaves from their stems and cut into smaller pieces with a knife or salad scissors. Add the the salad bowl.
Making the salad dressing:
- To make the salad dressing place all of the dressing ingredients into a jar or cup. Whisk together with a fork until smooth.
- If eating all of the salad in one sitting, add the dressing to the salad bowl and mix everything together. If saving some salad for later (or next day), mix the salad together without adding the dressing. Place the salad into individual bowls then add some dressing.
