"IT'S TOO WARM" CARROT AND BEET SALAD

Don't know what it's like where you are but things are sure heating up in Liverpool. I don't cope well when it's warm. After a whole days work in a stuffy basement office even I don't want to come home and spend hours over a hot stove in the evening. Neither do I want something heavy and stodgy. So with some left over beets and carrots in my kitchen I rustled up this delightfully fresh and crunchy salad. It takes minutes to make so you can whip it up as soon as you come through the door and then leave to marinade.

Done!

 

Carrot and Beet Salad

1 Tsp Sesame Seeds

300g Peeled Carrots

300g Peeled Beetroot

3 Chopped Spring Onion

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

Splash Chili Sauce (optional)

Handful Spinach Leaves

Salt And Pepper To Season

A Few Freshly Chopped Parsley Leaves

1. So the only "cooking" you need to do is to throw the sesame seeds into a dry frying pan on a medium heat just for a minute until lightly toasted. You can do this whilst moving on too step two, just keep a beady eye on the seeds so they don't burn. Remove from the heat once toasted.
2. Grate your carrots and beetroot. You want them to be quite coarsely grated. If it's too fine you'll just end up with a very sloppy salad. Chuck them into a bowl with the chopped spring onion.
3. Add in the oil, vinegar, mustard and chili sauce and give everything a good mix so that the veg is well coated with the dressing. 
4. Add the spinach leaves and mix them into the bowl. Keep mixing and the leaves will begin to wilt with the moisture in the bowl and start integrating with the other ingredients. 
5. Add salt and pepper to season and sprinkle over the chopped parsley leaves. You can eat straight away if you like but if you can leave in the fridge to sit for one hour and the flavor will intensify and really lift the salad.

Now all you need to do is make something to go with it. Me, I used some of my left chicken from my Sunday roast which worked brilliantly and zero cooking time so bang! Instant dinner with minimal effort.

You can mix up the ingredients to suit your taste too. Why not try roasted cumin seeds instead of sesame seeds for a more warming punch or sweeten it up with cider vinegar instead of balsamic. Experiment!

Now get out there and enjoy your salad in the evening sun beofre it's too late!