Red White and Blue Salad

Red White and Blue Salad is an ideal salad to serve on the 4th of July or Australia Day. Beets, blueberries and feta are tossed in our, oh so scrumptious blueberry basil dressing that everyone will love! 

This is such a colourful salad, the vibrant green of the rocket, the intense dark red of the beets, the bright, blueish purple of the blueberries and the pure white feta. Which means that this salad contains a nice variety of nutrients.  

Where does the Red White & Blue come from?

• Red – the intense red colour of beetroot is due to betacyanin – an antioxidant that is important for a healthy heart.
• White – comes from the creamy white feta made from goat’s milk a cheese that is low in calories and fat and contains a high amount of B vitamins.
• Blue – the purple of the blueberries comes from the anthocyanins a potent antioxidant.  

SOme serving ideas

Beets pair well with beef, pork, fish eggs and cheese such as feta, goat, parmesan, ricotta. Try it with grilled meats or chicken, roast beef or a feta and filo tart.

You will need:

How to Make it 

1PREPARE YOUR VEG & BERRIES
Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining. Rinse, strain then dice your beets into a small to medium dice. 
Wash your rocket, then either pat dry with a clean towel or spin dry in a salad spinner.
Wash your blueberries then gently pat dry.

2BLITZ YOUR DRESSING
Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small food processor, blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dressing is too thick.

3ASSEMBLE YOUR SALAD
Place your diced beets, rocket and blueberries in a large mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, pour over the dressing, toss until everything is well coated. 
Arrange in a salad bowl and scatter the crumbled feta on top to garnish. Chill until you are ready to serve. 

To Make this salad with fresh beets instead

If you would like to make this salad with fresh beets instead to boost the flavour, just allow an additional 30 to 40 minutes to boil the beets (sometimes longer depending on the beets). 

You will need 3-4 medium beets (approximately 500 grams) 

1. Put a large pot of salted water on high heat to boil.
2. Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining. 
3. Then trim the root end and the leaves from your beets. (Do not throw them away if they are fresh and unmarked they make a great salad on their own. 
4. Scrub your beets thoroughly under cold running water to remove all the dirt. As beets are grown in the ground, they are quite often laden with dirt.
5. Put them in your pot and allow them to boil rapidly (approximately 30-40 minutes or more). Pierce them with a fork, and when they are soft and tender, they are ready.
6. While your beets are cooking, wash and dry your rocket and blueberries.
7. Carefully strain your cooked beets in a colander, running them under cold water to cool them down so that they are easier to handle.
8. Once cool peel them with a paper towel, with your fingers or with a small paring knife, then cut them into small dice. Make sure you cover your chopping board with some baking or wax paper to prevent staining.
   

Can i use Canned beets?

To be honest, I am just not a fan of canned beets, they are high in sodium and have a briny taste that does not go well in this salad.

Can i make it in advance?

• This salad can be made several hours ahead but just mix your dressing through just before serving otherwise your salad will become soggy and wilted.
• Blueberry basil dressings gels if left sitting for too long so you will need to add some water to thin it out a little.
• Your dressing can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days, just add water if it becomes to thin it out.

Some Other salads to try:

Red White and Blue Salad

Red White and Blue Salad is an ideal salad to serve on the 4th of July or Australia Day. Beets, blueberries and feta are tossed in our, oh so scrumptious blueberry basil dressing that everyone will love! 

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

(Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level)

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Australian

Keyword: Easy, gluten free, vegetarian

Servings: 4 as a side

Calories: 289kcal

Equipment

• small food processor or bullet blender
• Salad Spinner

Ingredients

For the salad…

• 500 grams vacuum packed beets 2 packs
• 60 grams rocket arugula approximately 2 cups
• 250 grams blueberries 2 packs
• ¼ cup crumbled feta

For the Blueberry Basil Dressing *

• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
• 3 tbsps red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsps raspberry vinegar
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Pinch of salt

Metric – Imperial

Instructions

• Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining. Rinse, strain then dice your beets into a small to medium dice.
• Wash your rocket, then either pat dry with a clean towel or spin dry in a salad spinner.
• Wash your blueberries then gently pat dry.
• Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small food processor, and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking. If necessary, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the dressing is too thick.
• Place your diced beets, rocket and blueberries in a large mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, pour over the dressing, toss until everything is well coated.
• Arrange in a salad bowl and scatter the crumbled feta on top to garnish. Chill until you are ready to serve.

Video

Notes

* makes enough for two salads

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Nutrition Facts

Red White and Blue Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 289 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 8mg3%

Sodium 441mg19%

Potassium 303mg9%

Carbohydrates 35g12%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 27g30%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 570IU11%

Vitamin C 13mg16%

Calcium 90mg9%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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