Vegan Beet Salad with Black Eyed Peas & Lime

A vegan beet salad that will have your taste buds singing and hearty enough to keep you full and satisfied for hours. This beautifully hued vegetable is sensational roasted in this salad perfect for barbecues, pot lucks and picnics.

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Roasted beets are the ideal way to enjoy all of the earthy sweetness of this root vegetable without losing its wonderful texture through boiling. 

Beets take on a distinct, concentrated, almost sugary flavour when they are roasted which worked well with the slightly smoky, earthy black-eyed beans and zesty heat of the lime chilli vinaigrette. 

Serving Ideas

I really just love this salad on its own for a hearty dinner or lunch which I pair with a good homemade seedy loaf. I have also taken this to a friend's barbecues and enjoyed it on many a picnic as it travels well. 

Recipe Substitutions 

Beans - use any kind of bean that takes your fancy, just keep in mind the lighter coloured beans will be tinged pink from the beetroot. Try either black beans for a wonderful colour contrast, red beans or a bean mix. 

Herbs & Citrus - use any kind of soft herbs that take your fancy such dill with lemon, fennel with orange, tarragon with orange/lemon, mint with lemon. 

How to Roast Beets

1. Preheat your oven 220°C 425°F. Place a piece of baking paper on your chopping board to prevent it from staining.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Line a baking tray with a large piece of heavy-duty foil (a big enough piece so that I can tightly wrap my beets in them), then place the beets in the middle and drizzle them with some olive oil and season with some sea salt and cracked black pepper.
5. Tightly seal the foil this keeps them from drying out in the hot oven and helps them retain their own juices and stay tender. You can, of course, wrap each beet individually, but they roast just as well if you place them together.
6. Place them in your oven (the middle section of your). How long you roast your beets will depend on their size, how fresh they are (fresher cooks faster), how many beets there are and if you have anything else in your oven.
   Your small beets could take half an hour and your larger ones could take an hour or more. Just start checking them after they have been in the oven for 20 minutes or so. Pierce them with a fork and when they feel soft and tender they are ready.
   When done use your tongs to carefully unwrap them and allow them to cool before handling. (Should take between 40-60 minutes).
7. To peel your roasted beets, you can wear gloves to avoid staining, then you could either rub them with your gloved hands, use kitchen paper to rub the skins off or use a small paring knife to peel the skins away. You will be surprised how easy it will be, I find it easier to just use my gloved hands, to be honest.
8. Once peeled, you are ready to cut your roasted beets according to your recipe just don’t forget to do this on a lined chopping board to prevent nasty beet stains.

Putting Your Salad Together 

1. If you are using tinned black-eyed peas simply drain in a colander and rinse well under cold water. Transfer to your mixing bowl.
2. Peel the onion, remove the tops and bottoms and chop into a fine dice, transfer to your mixing bowl.
3. Wash your mint and coriander leaves, spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Roughly chop the leaves and add them to your mixing bowl, along with the lime zest and sesame seeds.
4. Place all your dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake until emulsified.
5. Pour the dressing over the salad, season with salt and pepper, mix well until combined. Taste your salad and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
6. Arrange your vegan beet salad in a salad bowl, scatter the sesame seeds and chilli on top, then serve.

Recipe Tips & Inspiration

• Roast the beets a week in advance and keep covered in your fridge until you are ready to assemble.
• This vegan beet salad can be made at the start of the week and will still taste great several days later. But leave the herbs to add to the salad just before serving. 
• To boil your own black-eyed peas, use approximately 200 grams of dried peas to make up 400 grams of cooked. Place the peas in a small saucepan, cover with water, add some salt and cook until soft (approximately 30 minutes).
• If your leaves are not damaged and look fresh you can keep them to add to your next green salad mix. Alternatively, I like to first boil them and make them into a salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil. In a pot of boiling, salted water, add the stems and boil until tender (approximately 10 minutes), then add the leaves and boil for an additional 5 minutes. Drain well add some red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, then mix until combined.
• A great packable salad that is perfect to meal prep for weekday lunches, picnics and pot lucks as it travels so well.

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