Grater-licious Beet & Carrot Salad

You know when you find something that is so delicious, budget-friendly and easy to make and you find yourself eating it over and over and worrying you will get sick of it but then it just makes it into your rotation of meals and you don't remember life without it? As dramatic as this may sound, this salad just might make it right into your week - week after week.

There are five major things that make this salad quite special in our eyes:

1. It is shredded. As in grated with the large holes on a cheese grater. There is almost no chopping at all and you don't even need to peel your carrot or your beet.
2. Beets are not often eaten raw and grating them gives you the chance to enjoy beets without all of the preparation and cooking time. While a variety of cooked and raw foods is optimal, beets do lose about 25% of their folate from cooking.
3. Mint. The mint in this salad is not optional. We dare you to make it without the fresh mint, taste it, then add the mint and taste it again.
4. Alberta farmers grow amazing carrots and beets. They are sweeter and juicier than their Oregon and California cousins and they support the local economy.
5. There are only a few dressing ingredients and you just put them in a jar or container with a lid and shake for 10 seconds. Poof. You have salad dressing.

This salad, like most, is also very forgiving depending what you have on hand. We have given you lots of suggestions to make it your own, but really, the basic few ingredients listed are really all that you need for a delicious salad great as lunch, dinner, a side dish, a burger topping or a picnic.

Grater-licious Beet & Carrot Salad (makes 1 meal sized serving or 2 side salads)

1 small beet, grated

1 carrot, grated

handful of cilantro, roughly chopped (italian parsley can be substituted if you aren't a cilantro fan)

4-6 leaves of mint, roughly chopped or torn, this is not an optional ingredient!

1/4-1/2 cup raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Dressing:

2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil (avocado oil would also work nicely)

1 tsp dijon style mustard

1 tsp maple syrup or honey

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wash your beet and carrot, no need to peel, and grate them using the large holes of a cheese grater. Toss in your cilantro, mint and seeds. In a jar or container with a lid, add all the dressing ingredients and give it a good shake for about 10 seconds. If you are serving the salad right away, pour all the dressing on it and stir well. If you are packing to eat later just pack your jar of dressing for when you are ready to marry the two! This also works well as a 'jar salad' just put the beets at the bottom and the greens and seeds at the very top.

The simplicity of this salad is really special, but if you want to dress it up with scallions, a bit of kale, a tart apple, raisins, micro greens, almonds, different colours of beets and carrots, radishes… you get the picture. Enjoy!

Recipe, photos and post courtesy of Amy Buckman, Community Ambassador, Amaranth Whole Foods Markets.