Beet and Rice salad

Below is a recipe for one of my summertime favorites, beet and rice salad.  It is a colorful side dish (we just had it with cajun whitefish and sauteed summer veggies), or if you mix in chickpeas or cooked chicken and serve over a bed of greens, this can be a balanced meal.  I usually make a batch of brown basmati rice (2 cups cooked) and it might last us a week.

I also tweaked the recipe from the original, which had you cook the beets ahead in boiling water.  I read recently that the nutrients remain intact and are more bioavailable from raw beets (which is why I’ve been adding them to the smoothie recipe too!).  Also, we are in the thick of summer and Kurt gets a little testy when I crank up the stove and oven in hot weather–(he’s got a point)…AND, I always like to find ways to simplify recipes and eliminate steps…so here it is–these amounts almost filled a quart sized container:

• 2-3 golf ball sized beets, peeled and minced in the food processor (they are available now at the farmer’s market–PS:  save the greens, wash them and use in tossed salads!)
• 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and processed like the beets (also available at the Farmer’s Market now)
• 1 clove garlic (add to beets and carrots in food processor)
• 2 cups cooked rice, rinsed in cold water (I like brown basmati for this recipe)
• 1/4 cup each olive oil and champagne vinegar (use less vinegar if you are not a fan of it)
• 1 Tbs honey dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs dried tarragon (or fresh if you have it!) and or any other herbs you like and have on hand

I usually make the vinaigrette in a mixing bowl large enough to hold the rest of the ingredients and tweak it for taste before I add the veggies and rice.  Then I add the minced beets, carrots and garlic.  Then I add the rice.  Everything gets VERY hot pink, which I love, but may be scary for some…The taste of beets is not strong in this recipe and has passed taste tests with people who don’t like beets.  Mostly you taste the basmati rice and vinaigrette, with the carrots and beets providing a fresh and pleasant CRUNCH.  Sunflower seeds would be great sprinkled over at the last minute (so they don’t turn pink).  Enjoy!