Spinach and Beetroot Salad with Croutons
Today’s recipe is a delicious combo of beetroot, spinach, bread and chickpeas, mixed into a salad. Don’t worry if you don’t know what a crouton is, or how to pronounce it. It tastes great anyway! Enjoy the spinach and beetroot salad.
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Ingredients:
For the Croutons (crisp bread cubes):
- Naan, Pav Bhaji bread, or flatbread (preferably from the day before) 1/2
- Sunflower or olive oil : 2 tbsp
- Black/White Pepper Powder : 1 tsp
For the Salad:
- Feta cheese (if not available, substitute with paneer): 150g
- Cold-pressed olive oil : 2 tbsp
- Chickpeas (Kabuli channa) : 160g
- Cooked beetroot : 350g
- Fresh baby spinach : 150g
- Grenadine (pomegranate syrup; for fresh preparation: 1 large pomegranate + 2 tbsp of jaggery/organic sugar) : 3 tbsp
- White tahini (white sesame paste; for fresh preparation: ½ cup of toasted white sesame seeds, 2 tbsp of mild olive or sesame oil) : 2 tsp
- Lime juice : 4 tbsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Also needed: Baking paper
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Directions:
- If you substitute feta cheese with paneer, cut the paneer in about 1/2-cm-thick slices and soak them in a mix of 1 tsp. of lime juice and 1 tsp. salt for 24 hours before use.
- Soak the chickpeas for a minimum of 4 hours. Then cook them in a pressure cooker until soft but not mushy.
- If you prepare the grenadine fresh, juice a large-sized pomegranate by squeezing the seeds through a cloth, add 2 tablespoons of jaggery or organic sugar and bring to a boil. Set aside and allow to cool.
- prepare the tahini fresh, grind the toasted white sesame seeds in a grinder into a fine powder, add 2 tablespoons of oil and grind into a paste. Set aside.
- For the croutons, cut the Naan/Pav/flatbread in 2-cm-wide strips, then into 2-cm-big cubes. Mix oil and white/black pepper powder in a big bowl, add bread cubes and coat them with the oil mix. Spread the bread cubes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast in the preheated oven at 200° C (convection oven 180° C) on the middle rack for 5–10 minutes until crisp. Set aside to cool.
- Cut the feta or paneer in 1-cm-big cubes; sauté them with a little oil in a pan until light brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- For the salad, in a big bowl, mix grenadine, tahini, lime juice, 100 ml of cold water, salt and pepper to taste. Vigorously stir in the oil with a wire whisk or egg beater.
- Drain the chickpeas. Pat the beetroot dry; cut first in 1-cm-thick slices, then into equally thick strips.
- Wash and pluck the spinach; pat it dry on a towel. Mix the chickpeas, beetroot and spinach with the dressing.
- Arrange the salad on plates; top it with cheese cubes and croutons.
