As much as I love beetroot, I don’t like peeling or chopping the root. It gets messy with red colored spattering on my clothes. Roasting is my favorite way to enjoy beetroot, unless of course, I am baking a cake with it. Carrots, on the other hand, always taste so good when roasted. These two root vegetables pair together effortlessly and make a great salad just on their own. Before I get into the details of the recipe, I would like to mention the Wolf Gourmet® Elite Countertop Oven with Convection. I have been using this oven for a while now and I absolutely love it. It has several cooking modes, from roasting an entire chicken to toasting a couple of bread slices. The oven cooks quickly and evenly, thanks to five heating elements, intuitive controls and advanced electronics. I have been using it almost every other day for quick roasting or baking. The non-stick interior makes wiping away dips and splatters super easy. The entire oven rack system is removable and a dishwasher-safe crumb tray slides out for easy access. How cool is that!
How to Roast Beetroot and Carrot
Most of the work for this Roasted Beetroot and Carrot Salad is done by the oven. You can roast the carrots and the beets together or separately. Here is how I did it:
I wrapped the whole beetroot, without peeling or chopping, in an aluminum foil, drizzled oil and sealed it close. Then, I roast it at 400F for 40 minutes. This made the beetroot soft and tender.Then, I sliced the beets into wedges and roasted it again with the sliced carrots along with cumin and fennel at 400F for 20 minutes. The spices added an amazing balance to the sweet roasted veggies.
How to make Quinoa
The Roasted Beetroot and Carrot Salad is amazing on it’s own with the spiced yogurt dressing. But with quinoa it turns from a side salad to a full meal. To make the quinoa extra flavorful, I prepared it in chicken broth. You can surely use water or vegetable broth. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve multiple times and then, transfer to a saucepan. Pour the stock or the water to the pan and bring it to a boil at high heat. (If you are using stock that has salt, you don’t need to add any. Otherwise, add ½ teaspoon salt). Once it comes to a boil, bring the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the stock/water is absorbed. Switch off the heat and set the pan aside covered for 5 minutes. Then, fluff it with a fork.
The delicious Spiced Yogurt Dressing for Beetroot and Carrot Salad
It’s a super simple salad dressing with yogurt, cumin powder, fresh cilantro, salt and extra virgin olive oil. I love the creaminess of the dressing and it can quite easily be used as a dip too. It’s adds a refreshing taste to the warm roasted vegetables and the fluffy quinoa.
What else goes in the salad?
This roasted veggie salad is a minimalistic salad but you can surely add your choice of veggies or greens if you like. I added few cherry tomatoes, grapes (because I love the sweetness it adds), walnut for the crunchy bite and pan-fried halloumi cheese. Halloumi cheese is totally optional. I only added it because I had some. I served the salad a bit warm so that the pan-fried halloumi cheese paired nicely. If you are serving the salad room temperature or packing it for lunch/picnic, definitely leave out the cheese. Halloumi cheese gets rubbery when it’s cold. Cumin and Fennel seeds works amazing with roasted vegetables by adding a hint of earthy flavor that blends to the sweetness of the roots. The Spiced Yogurt Dressing is refreshing and adds a lovely touch of sourness to the salad. This Roasted Beetroot Carrot Quinoa Salad with Spiced Yogurt Dressing is not only easy to make and filling, but it also adds a vibrant color to your menu.
Here are few more interesting salads to try!
Fruits Cold Cut Panzanella Salad Grilled Watermelon Shishito Peppers Salad Paneer Corn Cabbage Cup
