A few summers ago, my family and I were traveling through Vermont. We stumbled upon this adorable restaurant where we enjoyed a nice outdoor meal. While perusing the menu, the waitress brought over a small plate of pickled vegetables for us to munch on. They were so good, I questioned why I wasn't pickling vegetables myself on a regular basis. But, nowadays you can find pre-packaged pickled veggies just about anywhere. Enter this week's Pickled Beet Salad. Tangy pickled beets are combined with arugula, the grainy goodness of bulgur wheat, caramelized pecans and creamy goat cheese. It's all tossed with a homemade apple-cider shallot dressing. Enjoy the salad by itself or as a side with your favorite protein! Super healthy and delicious!
Ingredients For Pickled Beet Salad
- Pickled beets. For this recipe I used AUGA's pickled beets. They are delicious and perfectly diced, making them great for quickly and easily adding to salads. I reserve some of the beet juice for use in the dressing.
- Arugula- Slightly peppery arugula works well to balance out the flavors in the salad. And, the leaves hold up nicely once tossed with the dressing and can even last a few hours in the fridge before wilting.
- Bulgur wheat- Bulgar is a whole grain that has a deliciously light texture and nutty flavor. Adding it to the salad makes it more of a meal. To make 2 cups cooked bulgur I used: ½ cup bulgur wheat to 1 ¼ cup water.
- Goat cheese- Slightly tangy but creamy goat cheese works beautifully with pickled veggies as it cuts into the acidity and also helps round out the flavors. All you need are a few crumbles. I like to use Montchevre brand and break up the crumbles myself. I think it's much fresher and more creamy that way.
- Caramelized Pecans- Sweet and crunchy, they add another layer of flavor and texture to this salad. The Apple Cider Shallot Dressing
Making the Apple Cider Shallot Dressing
Homemade dressings don't need to be complicated. In fact, most dressings can be made in under 5 minutes. They're fresher and you can adjust the seasonings to your liking. For this dressing I used a few simple ingredients.
- Apple Cider Vinegar- I love the fruity flavor of this vinegar combined with the beets.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Also slightly fruity, but extra virgin olive oil has the most intense flavor so I never buy anything else when it comes to olive oil. That peppery after taste is a sign your oil contains a high amount of beneficial phenolic compounds that are potent antioxidants.
- Shallots- More mild than garlic so I love adding them to dressings. They really make the dressing pop.
- Chives- They're one of my favorite herbs and have a slightly garlicky flavor that I love.
- Honey- For a touch of sweetness.
- Reserved Pickled Beet Juice- adds a bit of pink color to the dressing and some added flavor.
- Coarse Salt & Pepper- to bring out all the flavors in the dressing.
Salad Substitutions
To make this pickled beet salad gluten-free, you can simply substitute barley with a gluten-free grain like quinoa or brown rice.
If nut allergies are an issue you can omit them. Consider adding dried or fresh fruit (orange slices, apple slices or raisins for example) if you're looking for added sweetness.
Make it vegan by substituting a creamy vegan cheese. Food 52 did a great roundup of the best vegan cheeses.
Nutrition Notes
There are many potential health benefits to consuming pickled and fermented vegetables including weight loss, cancer and disease prevention but more studies are needed for this to be conclusive. In addition, many people assume that all pickled and fermented foods contain live microorganisms and therefore are considered to be "probiotic foods." Processes such as heat treatment or filtering can have a huge impact on whether or not the final product contains live and therefore beneficial microorganisms. It's important to note that these products can contain high levels of sodium and may not be optimal for those on sodium restricted diets. Bottom line, enjoy pickled and fermented foods as part of a healthful diet but use caution if you are on a low sodium diet.
This was not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
Apple Cider Shallot Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ shallot chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and serve with your favorite salad.
Notes
Pickled Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked bulgur wheat
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 cups pickled beets diced and drained (save a small amount of juice to add to the dressing)
- 1 tablespoon reserved pickle beet juice
- 1 oz goat cheese crumbles
- ¼ cup caramelized pecans roughly chopped or broken up
- apple cider shallot dressing recipe above
Instructions
- Cook the bulgur according to package instructions. *(see bulgur to water ratio I used above). Allow bulgur to cool completely before adding to salad.
- In a large bowl, add the arugula, bulgur and pickled beets.
- Add the beet juice to the apple cider dressing and give it a quick whisk.
- Pour the dressing onto the salad and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle on the goat cheese and caramelized nuts.
- Allow dressing to absorb into salad about 5 minutes.
- Serve or refrigerate up to 4 hours. If refrigerating, allow salad to come back close to room temperature for best flavor.
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