Beet Caprese Salad

Beet Caprese SaladBeet Caprese Salad //

Oh, don’t you just love that summer is approaching rather quickly? Even though we are only in the midst of this spring season, I am eagerly awaiting pretty summer days… filled with lazy pajama mornings, no frantic schedule, loads of time with the kids, endless amounts of sunshine, and light tasty dishes enjoyed alfresco! How about you?

Beet Caprese Salad Recipe via Simply Happenstance #capresesalad #beets

This light Beet Caprese Salad is the perfect dish to accompany a warm day! I’ve had variations of it recently, while dining out. I decided to start lunching on this homemade salad during our Spring Break, since I had a little more time to focus on healthy meals. The combination of fresh vegetables, flavorful basil, creamy burrata cheese, crunchy pine nuts and slightly tangy balsamic dressing is brilliant! Your tastebuds will surely do a happy dance! 

Beet Caprese Salad via Simply Happenstance

Beet Caprese Salad with a Balsamic Dressing (recipe on Simply Happenstance)

The preparation takes mere minutes if you start with pre-cooked beets (that would be my recommendation to you). I bought them in the refrigerator section at Trader Joe’s. The rest of the ingredients you can slice and layer into a bowl or platter to serve. You can omit the spinach leaves altogether, and serve this deliciousness as an appetizer (by itself), or as a topping on warm grilled bread to make bruschetta. 

Beet Caprese Salad (via Simply Happenstance)

Regardless of how you decide to serve/eat it… you will be delighted! The freshness of the ingredients and robustness of flavor really shines through! 

Print Recipe

Beet Caprese Salad

This deliciously fresh Beet Caprese Salad makes for an excellent first course or light lunch during the warmer months of the year!
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Lunch or Dinner
Cuisine: Salad
Servings: 2
Author: Simply Happenstance

Ingredients

  • SALAD //
  • 1/2 pound beets approx. 2-3 medium // scrubbed, steamed, cooled and sliced
  • 1 ripe avocado // skinned and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes or 1/2 pound heirloom tomatoes // sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil // chopped or left whole
  • 8 oz. fresh burrata cheese //drained and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1/8 - 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
  • 2 cups of fresh spinach // rinsed and dried
  • BALSAMIC DRESSING //
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • DRESSING //
  • Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper together in a glass jar with a lid. Replace lid on the jar and shake vigorously until thoroughly combined OR mix in a small bowl using a fork to combine. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
  • SALAD //
  • In a medium-sized bowl or platter, layer salad ingredients starting with the fresh spinach leaves.
  • Add the sliced beets, avocado, tomatoes, basil, burrata cheese, and pine nuts.
  • Drizzle on the balsamic dressing.
  • Serve and enjoy immediately!

Notes

* You can omit the spinach leaves and serve as an appetizer using the remaining ingredients. Eat this tasty beet caprese salad on its own, or serve with warm grilled bread (to make bruschetta).
* To make this recipe even easier, I purchased my beets all ready cooked and ready to eat from the refrigerator section of Trader Joe's.

 Enjoy, friends! The warm days of summer are drawing near! 
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Healthy Quinoa Salad

 

Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe {via Simply Happenstance} #wheatfree #quinoa #salad.jpg

 :: Healthy Quinoa Salad ::

I’m sure by now, most of you have tried quinoa {pronounced KEEN-wah}. This superfood {which was discovered by the Incas, three to four thousand years ago} is one of my personal favorites! Although it is usually thought of as a whole grain, it is actually a seed. It takes less time to cook than whole grains, and tastes amazing on its own! It is a wheat-free, gluten-free, and cholesterol-free food, making it the perfect side dish or main course for vegetarians, vegans, and others with special dietary concerns. Here are some interesting healthy facts about quinoa:

  • It is a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.
  • It contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains. Fiber helps prevent heart disease by reducing high blood pressure and diabetes. It also lowers cholesterol and glucose levels. 
  • Quinoa contains lysine, which is essential to tissue growth and repair.
  • It is rich in magnesium, which helps to relax blood vessels and alleviate migraines. Additionally magnesium helps detoxify the body, provides energy, and helps with the formation of healthy bones and teeth. 
  • The gluten-free super seed is a good source of riboflavin {B2}, which is known to improve energy metabolism within the brain and muscle cells. 
  • Quinoa is rich in manganese {an antioxidant}. Manganese helps prevent damage of mitochondria during energy production and protects red blood cells from injury by free radicals. [Read more…]

Chicken Avocado Salad

Chicken Avocado Salad

:: Chicken Avocado Salad ::

This healthful Chicken Avocado Salad comes together quickly making it an instant favorite! Have you been running around too much lately? Not thinking logically on what you are consuming because the kids are busy and you haven’t had time to think?  Well, that describes my family to the T lately.  We have been anticipating some minor changes to our house.  We just revamped our flooring throughout the downstairs.  It’s funny because it was a choice or an elective situation that we had been planning to do since we moved to our home three years ago.  In that time frame we had some water damage, minor repairs, and life in general so it got put on the back burner.  But just like having a baby, we forgot the labor pains, and thus are trying to catch up from the mess. 

That mess caused a ripple effect like life does, and we have been eating quick thoughtless meals, or dining out.  It’s time to get back to the basics, and that means eating mindfully and enjoying it as well.  This Chicken Avocado Salad is rustic and fresh. Oh and by the way….. it’s healthy so that is a plus!

[Read more…]