Maria's Easy Beet Salad Recipe

Maria’s Easy Beet Salad Recipe Photo Credit: Bill Milne Photography (used with permission)

Beets.  Ick. They’re the yucky vegetable my mom loved and us kids hated. I vividly remember being told to sit at the table until those nasty red pickled beets  were gone…oh the many ways I hid them to get up from that table.

Now it’s 50 years later and I’m still not a huge fan, but on occasion I’ll have a salad with beets and I’ll actually eat them rather than put them inside my mouth, shoved back in my cheeks, waiting for a place to secretly get rid of them!

Luckily, many people don’t have the same beet aversion I have and I’m thinking of trying some beet aversion therapy – you know, eating great recipes made with them. I’m sure we can turn my eating habits around because beets are actually really good for you!

Recipes for Beets

Maria Zoitas, creator of  the“Maria’s Homemade” line of prepared food which is sold exclusively at Westside Market NYC, created this easy beet salad recipe for me to try. It can be served as a summer lunch side with a sandwich or with some great BBQ chicken or steak. It’s easy to make and includes a lot of fresh ingredients and is dressed with simple ingredients you likely have in your kitchen.

Maria's Easy Beet Salad
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2, 8-ounce packages steamed and peeled beets, cut into large pieces
  • Chopped basil
Instructions
  1. Whisk together olive oil, honey, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper in bowl.
  2. Add onions and beets and marinate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  3. Garnish with basil before serving.

Beet Salad Aversion Therapy

Have I tried it yet? No. Baby steps….baby steps. First I have to remind myself that beets are good…they work to lower cholesterol levels, they have anti-aging effects (I could certainly use that! Maybe I should put them on my crows-feet!), help prevent strokes, and more. Yea, I think it’ll be awhile…those are some deep memories that were seared into my brain all those years ago….don’t even talk to me about lima beans.

But for you normal people, give Maria’s Beet Salad a try and let me know how you like it.