Beetroot pomegranate salad | Glutenfreewhisk

 I am not a fan of both beetroot and pomegranate, but I finished my bowl of this beautiful fiber and iron rich salad bowl. The key ingredient in this recipe has to be mint, the freshness it brings to the salad and the refreshing taste of mint compliments all the other ingredients really well. I am not using raw beetroot in the recipe but am steaming it first and trust me it is a game changer. The soft naturally sweet bite from beetroot and the sweet blast and crunch from pomegranate seeds, everything works so well.

While steaming the beetroot, I get a super thick, sweet, great pink shade of beetroot juice that I used in my salad dressing also makes this salad so irony. Because when you eat iron, you can actually feel it in your tongue. I don't know if this happens with you but with me it happens every time. So, if you know, you know. Both beetroot and pomegranate are a good iron source for vegetarian but to help or facilitate in absorption of this non-heme iron pairing it with vitamin C is essential. So, do not skip adding lemon juice in the salad dressing to help in the absorption of iron. Non-heme iron is not readily absorbed by the body as it is absorbed from non-vegetarian food sources. Thus, one can even pair this beetroot pomegranate salad with legumes or other iron rich and vitamin C food sources like spinach, bell peppers turn it in a meal and helps in better nutrient absorption.

As I said mint really binds the flavor of this salad as it has some Vitamin C and some iron content and it helps. I am eating this salad as a side salad but make it a meal and enjoy it in whichever season you feel like. This beet salad is more of a winter salad, but I made it during summers and was great. Looking for a best winter salad recipe then this beet salad with pomegranate is the one for you.

In the past I have shared some amazing salad with beetroot and other ingredients. For instance, if you love to eat healthy and love eating raw vegetables like these then try ABC salad with tofu and walnut or one of my favorite salad recipes with sweet potato is this Honey soy sweet potato salad with beetroot or try this wrap/salad recipe Beetroot quinoa wrap with tofu & veggies. And the classic salad or raita recipe with beetroot is this Beetroot salad with yogurt and a desi curry leaves tadka on top.

Serving salad in a perfect bowl is always a challenge, to solve this you can check this pure home and living ceramic microwave safe bowl. 

Yes, beetroot impart its color over other ingredients in the bowl as you can see in my honey soy sweet potato salad with beetroot or ABC salad with tofu & walnut thus, you can adding melon seeds as a garnish for some white color contrast like I have. Because the melon seeds get lost in the rich red-pink juice of beetroot. You can use them as much as you like or even replace melon seeds with your seeds/nut of choice.

These beet salad recipes with make you a beet lover even when you don't like beetroot that much like me. I can eat these salads any day that just munching on the beetroot just like that in the name of a salad. A little effort and you can fix yourself the best side salad or a salad meal that you will enjoy and will want to make again and again. This steamed beetroot really matters in the salad because it changes the taste and makes it super juicy and soft. It removes the earthiness that beetroot has which can be a deciding factor for many whether you like beetroot or not.

I am adding just a little salt in this beetroot pomegranate salad because my beetroots are really sweet and I want to keep the flavor notes towards sweet. But depending on your taste palate and the sweetness and earthiness of beetroot you can play accordingly.

INGREDIENTS -

For Beetroot pomegranate salad

2 Beetroot, chopped & steamed

1 cup Pomegranate seeds 

Handful of Coriander leaves

Handful of Mint leaves

2 tbsp Melon seeds

For the sweet salad dressing

Juice of 1 lemon

Powdered white sugar, to taste

Beetroot juice

2 tsp oil

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp oregano mix

2 pinches of Salt

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

METHOD - 

1. In a bowl take pomegranate seed, chopped beetroot, roughly torn mint and coriander leaves and melon seeds. Set aside.

2. In another small bowl take lemon juice add all the sweet red-pink liquid of beetroot. You will get it after you steam them. And add oil, oregano mix, powdered white sugar, salt, roasted cumin powder and chaat masala to it. Mix and pour it over the beetroot pomegranate bowl.

3. Toss everything well. Serve this beet pomegranate salad in individual bowls garnishing with melon seeds and indulge.

Note - If you want to make it a meal add boiled white peas or white chickpeas. Don't blanch the beetroot instead steam it because that beet juice or liquid is just pure gem. I have steamed my beetroot for 15 minutes.

Check the full recipe on YouTube (Gluten_free_whisk) - Beetroot pomegranate salad recipe.

Beetroot pomegranate salad | Glutenfreewhisk