Beet and Berry Salad

In February, I went to Ocean City, Maryland with some friends for a short weekend getaway.  While we were there we ate at this delicious restaurant.  I ordered salad that consisted of beets, berries, and roasted shrimp.

It may sound like I was trying to be healthy, but it was a delicious salad.  It was beautiful too.  I knew then that I would try and recreate the salad at home.  

I enjoy beets, but I rarely cook with them because they are so messy.  Even if you just get them out of a can, they stain everything red.  If you have to cut and cook them, the chances of red staining your cloths only increases.

Beets, or beetroot, are used as a food dye.  Beet soup, or Borsht is a popular soup in Eastern Europe.  Cooked and spiced beets are a popular Indian side dish.  I don't think I have every tried Indian beets, but it sounds tasty.  In Australia, a pickled beet is often added to a hamburger.

The leaf is also edible.  Growing up, we would eat beat greens with vinegar and salt.  Even as a kid, I enjoyed it.

During the Middle Ages, beets were used medicinally for indigestion and problems with blood.  Beets are rich in folate and manganese.  I'm not sure of the health benefits of folate and manganese, but they sound important.

I made about four or five servings with the quantities of berries and beets I bought.  I used 2 pounds beets, 1 pint raspberries, 2 pints blackberries, 4 pints strawberries, and some citrus vinaigrette.  I used a mandarine, ginger, and poppyseed vinaigrette.

I covered the beets with water.  I added salt and a splash of vinegar.  I simmered the beets for about 40 minutes.  I let the beets cool enough to handle.  The skins rubbed of easily after being boiled.  I chopped the beets into cubes.

I added about a cup of beets into a serving dish.  I added a cups worth of blackberries, raspberries, and chopped strawberries.

I drizzled on about two tablespoon of mandarine vinaigrette.  I also added a dash of salt.

I stirred the salad up and then dug in.

I would not have thought of eating berries and beets together without having tried it first at a restaurant, but they make a wonderful combination.

 Beets are a little sweet and subtle.  They could probably go easily with many foods.

The berries were sweet, fresh, and juicy.  The beets were perfectly cooked.  They were tender and soft but not mushy.

The vinaigrette was a wonderful addition.  It was sweet and a little tart.  It added a little brightness to the salad.

It was a flavorful and nourishing dish.  It was also very colorful and attractive.

This would make a wonderful summer side dish.  I could have added shrimp and made it a light summer meal as well.

It was a delicious dish.  It was light, bright, and tasty.  I would make it again.