Beet Salad with Feta & Walnuts

Serves 6
Gluten-free | Vegetarian

An attractive and tasty way to enjoy the goodness of beets.

Yes, diabetics can eat a starchy vegetable (a half-cup of beets has 6g net carbs), but do not eat other starches with the meal. Instead, fill the rest of the plate with protein, non-starchy vegetables, salad, and fats.

*Try adding beets to a stir fry or grated onto a green salad!

Ingredients

• 9 cups mixed salad greens, washed
• 4 cups pickled beets (Recipe here)
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• ¾ cup walnuts, lightly toasted
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh pepper

Method

1. Layer the ingredients onto each plate in order.
2. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
3. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Pickled Beets

Serves 8-10
Gluten-free | Diary-free | Vegetarian | Vegan

When Barbara came from Switzerland many years ago to live with our family for a year, she was not into cooking at all, but she sure could make wonderful pickled beets, which our family consumed in abundance. This is as close as I can get to her ‘pinch of this, spoonful of that’ recipe. It’s been a favourite at our house ever since!

Ingredients

• 6 medium beets (approximately 6 to 8 cups)
• ½ medium onion, diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh, finely minced)
• ½ tsp Herbamare
• Dash of cayenne
• Fresh ground black pepper

Method

1. Put the beets in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about an hour, till tender.
2. Let cool, and slip the skins off. Dice the beets into approximately ¾ inch pieces, and place into a large bowl.
3. Add the onions and garlic.
4. Stir the mustard into the vinegar, and add this to the beets along with the remaining ingredients.
5. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.