Beet Salad with Dried Figs and Feta

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted a new recipe on my blog. I’ve been quite dejected since facebook has instituted the policy of severely limiting the number of viewers for each post. Of course, facebook wants to increase its revenue and wants bloggers to pay to get views but the problem is that most food bloggers aren’t making any money from their blogs. For most of us, blogging is a hobby and we do it because we have a common interest in food and we like to share it with other people. So I stand firm on not paying facebook for views. Of course, I’ve seen some increase in traffic flowing in to my site from Instagram and Pinterest and I’m thrilled about that. My blog is now largely on cruise control – I have a steady traffic flow from random google searches and a loyal base of those that follow the blog and I’m most appreciative of that.
Also, I have the most supportive friends who share in my love of cooking and healthy delicious food and they keep me going. Last week I had some of such friends over for dinner and I served a beet salad that two of them absolutely fell in love with. Not very many people in the US love beets (and I guess it comes out of their dislike for canned beets that they ate as children) so I was overjoyed when both Betty and Cynthia told me that they loved beets and they especially loved my beet salad. They encouraged me to post this recipe on the blog – so here I am 🙂

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Ingredients:

1. Two medium sized beets (you can boil them or roast them…I boiled mine this time).
2. 3-4 ounces of creamy feta (I prefer Bulgarian Feta)
3. 2 cloves of garlic
4. 2 tablespoons of good quality Balsamic vinegar
5. 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
6. 1 tablespoon of honey
7. A pinch of salt and a pinch of fresh ground pepper (adjust according to preference)
8. 15-20 dried figs
9. A handful of green raisins

Directions:

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1. Peel the garlic cloves and using a micro-plane, finely grate the garlic.

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2. Chop the dried figs in small pieces.

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3. Peel and dice the two beets (when they have cooled down).

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4. In a large bowl, place the chopped beets, chopped figs, raisins and grated garlic.

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5. Make a dressing by whisking together the following ingredients: olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

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6. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and mix everything well.

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7. Dice the feta cheese and place the diced pieces over the beets.

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8. This time I served this salad over a bed of lettuce greens and cooked quinoa (cooled down) but the last time I served over a base of finely chopped radishes. You can serve it any way that you prefer. If you serve it over quinoa, it makes a great balanced and delicious meal by itself. I love the sweetness that the beets, raisins and the dried figs give. The feta gives it a great tang and creaminess and the quinoa gives it texture and makes the salad quite a filling meal.

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comments

  1. Permalink Submitted by Mary Jo on Sun, 19/04/2015 - 03:36

    This looks wonderful! I can hardly wait to try it. (I LOVE Beets!)

    Mary Jo

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Tue, 21/04/2015 - 16:03

      This has become staple at our place Mary Jo…I make it a couple of times a week now. Tell me if you make it and if you liked it – xoxo

  2. Permalink Submitted by Betty on Mon, 18/05/2015 - 01:04

    I have made this recipe and I savor every mouthful every time I eat it. Thank so much, Shabnam, for your creativity, your food artistry, and your generosity in sharing.

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Mon, 18/05/2015 - 01:16

      OH YAYYYYYYYY!!! So glad you liked it my dear friend!!! My philosophy in life is simple – What’s the point of having good food, if you can’t share it with friends? I hope to see you soon – xoxox

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