Cooking and baking is one of my favorite things and it definitely helps me unwind after a busy day at work. Matthew and I have been so busy lately though that the dinners we put together end up being a little haphazard. It’s usually just roasted vegetables and protein or a big salad. I’ve been having fun with salads though, even including roasted vegetables, so I wanted to share this latest hit on the blog. It’s an arugula salad with cooked quinoa, roasted beets and pistachios. It seems like there’s a little bit of everything, with fresh apples slices and crumbled feta cheese, too. I had the last of some wholegrain mustard to use and it made the tastiest dressing. This would be a great salad for lunch or dinner!
Arugula Salad with Apples and Roasted Beets
INGREDIENTS
2 cups arugula
1/4 cup quinoa
2 ounces feta cheese
1/2 apple, sliced
handful of dry roasted pistachios
bunch of beets, about 4
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets into wedges. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula, until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
Cook quinoa according to package and set aside to cool. Can be made a day ahead.
Assemble salad with freshly washed and dried arugula leaves, quinoa, crumbled feta cheese, slices apples and beets. Toss gentry with wholegrain mustard dressing {ingredients and directions below} and sprinkle with roasted pistachios.
Wholegrain Mustard Dressing
makes about 1/2 cup
INGREDIENTS for dressing
1 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS for dressing
whisk ingredients in a bowl or shake, covered, in a jar
