Seasonal ingredient of the week: Beetroot

IN SEASON: June - March

Earthy and slightly sweet with a beautiful purple hue, Beetroot has been a staple in our salads since we started. It adds a distinct taste and texture, and pairs well with so many other ingredients, through every season. And because it grows so well in the UK, it’s easier to find locally grown varieties.

Beetroot is one of the richest sources of glutamine, an amino acid essential to the health and maintenance of our gut, and also serves a good dose of fibre.

TIPS:

- To cook beetroot, add it to a pan of boiling water and leave for anything between 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the size of the beetroot - it's cooked once you can easily stab it with a fork. Just remove the skin and it’s ready to eat.  

- Once cooked, beetroot can be sliced and added to salads as it is, or roasted in a little oil alongside squash and red onion and served as a warm dish.

- You can also eat the leaves and stalks - they can be cooked the same way that you would wilt spinach and are really delicious, not to mention packed full of nutrients! A fave dish of ours is beetroot stalks served with warm buckwheat, chickpeas and coconut yoghurt. 

- Beetroot can be enjoyed raw too - try it chopped into thin strips and mixed with apple & celery to make a delicious, crunchy slaw.

Recipe:

METHOD

1. Cook quinoa in 3 cups of water with a pinch of salt until the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and put lid on the pot, leave to stand for 5 mins. 

2. Pick the kale off the stalks and then wash and dry the leaves. In 3 batches put the kale leaves into a food processor until it’s coarsely chopped. 

3. Chop the tomatoes into small cubes, then finely slice spring onions and mix all ingredients together in a bowl (quinoa, kale, spring onions, tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and salt).

Best served with home made houmous and falafel

KALE TABBOULEH
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

- 300g kale
- 2 cups white quinoa 
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 lemons juice + zest
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch spring onion