Nola Beet Salad
For years, I have been getting the Whole Foods Nola Beet Salad. It is amazing, but it is quite costly, bring it to about $12/pound. It is flavorful, filling and loaded with nutrients so I realized, duh!!! Why not make this myself so that I can teach YOU all about it? And so, I was able to replicate the exact taste-Hallelujah!
While beets are a higher glycemic food, you must remember this basic rule; adding a healthy fat or protein to a high glycemic food lowers the glycemic index of the food/meal. A quick reminder; glycemic index is the rating at which a food causes your blood sugar to rise. The higher the index, the quicker the sugar dumps into your blood stream which instigates a higher insulin response. The goal? To avoid high sugar spikes throughout your day so that you can age slowly and keep the body fat within optimal ranges.
A little background on beets. Beets are a fabulous superfood providing you with high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium which are great for healthy nerve and muscle function. Beets also contain manganese which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Last, beets also contain the B vitamin folate, which helps reduce the risk of birth defects, for all my lady friends.
So make this salad. It takes minutes and it is an excellent dish to serve during the holidays. Your guests will love you even more:
What to get:
- Red beets (yellow if you can find them): you can cook them yourself or get them pre-made at Trader Joes
- Mini tri-color peppers
- Organic Spinach
- Feta Cheese
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Tabasco Sauce
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
What to do:
To make two servings of the salad, you only need about 6 large beets. Otherwise figure out how many portions you want and then go from there. You can use half a bag of the peppers and only 1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese. Be generous on the spinach (at least 2 handfuls per 2 servings). Cut up the beets into 4 little pieces each beet. Then, cut up the peppers into tiny slivers. Take about 2 handfuls+ of the spinach and then sprinkle in some feta cheese (be careful on how much). Once everything is in the container or bowl, add in about 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 4 tbsp of olive oil and 4 shakes of the Tabasco sauce. If you like spicier, then rock that Tabasco. Once all the ingredients are in, close the container and shake things up. Refrigerate for about an hour and then serve cold. Yum yum yum!!!!
