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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Summer Pasta Salad

Summer Pasta Salad-4

:: Summer Pasta Salad ::

Do you find, in the summer, that you cook less or look for easier recipes? I certainly do! Our days have been filled with outings, lots of outside time playing, and for us… packing up our mountain home in preparation for our upcoming move {not so fun!}.

During the school year, I’m fairly good at sticking to a routine of eating dinner at a reasonable time so that I can get the kids in bed around 8 p.m. In the summertime, that’s not the case! Usually, I’m throwing dinner together on a whim… with little time to spare! This recipe for a chilled Summer Pasta Salad is perfect for nights like that! [Read more…]

Fancy BLT Salad

Fancy BLT Salad {recipe via Simply Happenstance} #paleo #blt #salad

 :: Fancy BLT Salad ::

Nicole and I both have a thing for cookbooks… {Anyone with us, out there?} Although it’s fabulous that nowadays one can go on the internet and search for tasty recipes, I still love thumbing through traditional cookbooks.  I recently bought a new favorite a few weeks ago {which I highly recommend!}… Against All Grain by Danielle Walker. I first found her lovely paleo-friendly blog, and then bought her delectable cookbook. This Fancy BLT Salad was adapted from her Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon and Mushrooms recipe.

Fancy BLT Salad #paleo #blt #salad {via Simply Happenstance}

I am not crazy about two kinds of meat in my meals… so I left out the grilled chicken, but you could easily add that back in. I had leftover turkey bacon from breakfast that I had placed in the refrigerator. {I love being able to use extra ingredients that are already prepared and ready to go! It made this salad recipe so quick to make!} I reheated the bacon pieces in a skillet along with the mushrooms. I then tossed all the ingredients together and drizzled a homemade balsamic dressing over the top! Delicious, my friends… simply delicious!  [Read more…]

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…]

Healthy Taco Salad {vegetarian}

Healthy Taco Salad Recipe {via Simply Happenstance Blog}! The perfect lunch or dinner! #vegetarian #recipe #lunch #dinner #easymeal #wholefoods

:: Healthy Taco Salad ::

Confession: When my husby is home from work… I do very little cooking. With our new life in the mountains, he not only does 100% of the grocery shopping, but also cooks, so I can focus on homeschooling our four little ones. We eat very well when he is home! He’s super creative in the kitchen {thanks to the near decade he’s spent as a firefighter}. I am truly one lucky wifey!

This healthy Taco Salad is one of our family favorites. We love it because it is so versatile, quick, and easy to prepare. You can basically cut up and add-in any fresh veggies you have on hand from your garden or market. {For meat lovers… you can grill up some chicken, or prepare ground turkey, or lean ground beef to add to the salad.} To be honest… I rarely use dressing, instead I mash up the avocado and add a dollop of salsa. {If you like sour cream or plain greek yogurt, it would make it even creamier!} For those of you that love a simple dressing… a Creamy Cilantro Avocado or Italian drizzled on top tastes divine! [Read more…]

Panzanella Salad

 

:: Panzanella Salad ::

It just doesn’t get much easier {or tastier}, than this healthy summer salad! Panzanella Salad is my absolute FAVORITE dish to serve to friends… whether I’m taking it to their house, or hosting a summer playdate in my own home. It’s also the perfect meal to bring for a picnic lunch or concert in the park! 

There is some chopping of fresh veggies involved, the making of a simple homemade vinaigrette dressing, and a little toasting of french bread in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil… but the steps are super basic {you could even get the kids to help you toss it all together}! In under thirty minutes… you will have a scrumptious, fresh, tangy, and crisp bread salad to enjoy!

This recipe has always gotten rave reviews… but the best part is that you can easily customize it to your own taste! For example… love a greek salad? Just add in some chopped olives and feta cheese! For my husby, I omitted the red onion and added avocado slices. Any way that you do it… it comes out perfectly fresh and delectable! The combination of flavors is seriously… mouthwatering! [Read more…]