Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad

Blog and recipe from the lovely Katrina Stones, Chef extraordinaire from UNE Life, Functions & Catering

This healthy all-rounder, and is great for making in large batches and supplementing your work lunches.

The star of this dish is the beetroot, which is packed with vitamins, fiber and iron. The earthy flavour of beetroot is synonymous with winter for me and is almost a pantry item during the colder months. If beetroot is the star, then sweet potato is the scene-stealing extra, it is one of the best sources of Vitamin A, and contains a good amount of antioxidants as well.

Rounding out this star-studded cast are oranges and goats curd, good sources of Vitamin C and Calcium respectively. This delicious and nutritious dish is extremely simple and can be used as a side dish or even put into wraps or sandwiches.

Did you know…

•  Beetroot can be made into a wine that tastes similar to port
• The world’s heaviest beetroot weighed 23.4 kg and was grown by Ian Neale from Somerset in 2001
• Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, vitamins E and C, iron, potassium and vitamin B6 and a really good substitute if you’re trying to lower your carb intake!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 beetroot, peeled, trimmed, and quartered.
• 1 bunch baby beetroot, peeled and halved (save the leaves)
• 3 sprigs of thyme or rosemary
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 4 oranges, juiced (or a cup of orange juice if you’re feeling lazy)
• 1 orange, zested, peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 100g goat’s curd or Fetta
• 1 cup of Cooked Quinoa or Brown Rice (extra if required)
• Mixed Seeds to garnish for extra crunch

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 180C fan-forced or 200C non-fan-forced.
2. Peel Chop and dice your sweet potato and beetroot together with some salt and pepper and herbs with a little olive oil, roast in the oven for around 20 min or until tender.
3. For the dressing, add the orange juice to a small saucepan and bring it to the boil, reduce it by about half.
4. Add this reduction to a small bowl, add the zest, three tablespoons of olive oil, golden syrup, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and combine.
5. Once everything is cooked and your dressing is ready, plate the sweet potato and top with quinoa, beetroot, and the orange pieces. Scatter the beetroot leaves over the top, add some dollops of goat’s curd and drizzle/ spoon over the dressing.

Enjoy!

PS: We want to see what you put in your poke’ bowl tag us @lifefunctionscatering and we will share them in our stories!