I’m on a bit of a raw food kick lately. Of course when it comes to raw food, it’s all about the quality of the ingredients, which should ideally be organic and locally sourced to maximise their flavour potential. In this way, my recent Riverford boxes have been packed full of autumn inspiration, with carrots and beetroot being mainstays for the last couple of weeks. Most of my beets typically go straight into the juicer, but recently I’ve been look for other ways to enjoy beetroot in its pure unadulterated form.
Most recently, my favourite way to enjoy raw beetroot is shredded in combination with carrots and dressed with something sweet and tangy. Here I use raisins for the sweetness and lemon and white wine vinegar for the tang. Feel free to experiment with other dried fruits like dates, apricots or prunes. Same goes for the nuts: I use pine nuts but pistachios would be fantastic here, as would some toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Many people don’t often brave the gory hand mess that comes with handling raw beetroot. But really, folks, the mess isn’t that bad and the result is fantastic. Just wear an apron and go to it!
And if the slaw isn’t enough, here’s more beetroot inspiration for you:
- Beetroot, Apple and Ginger Smoothie
- Beetroot Gazpacho Soup
- Beetroot and Walnut Veggie Sausages
- Chilli Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie
- Curried Beetroot Soup at The Chequers
- Grapefruit, Beet and Chilli Juice
Beetroot and Carrot Slaw
Serves 2-3 (or one greedy Monica)
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 1 beetroot
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp raisins
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- small handful parsley
- small handful mint
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
Method
- Combine the raisins, vinegar and garlic in a bowl and leave to sit for about an hour.
- Peel the carrots and beetroot and grate them with a box grater or a julienne slicer (a julienne slicer looks prettier).
- Combine the raisins, vinegar and garlic with the carrots and beetroot, then toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, most of the parsley and mint, salt and pepper.
- Serve the slaw scattered with pine nuts and sprinkled with the extra herbs.
Also seen on Great British Chefs.
Yes! Shredding raw beets for salad is one of my favorite ways to eat them. I love how you’ve punched this up with plenty of fresh herbs!
I could eat this all myself too! Love the colours