CSA Cooking: Eat the Rainbow Salad
This vibrant salad is chock full of vitamins and antioxidants – and with orange-roasted beets, crispy radishes and snow peas, dark greens, and fresh herbs, it’s a vision on the plate, too.
This recipe is part of the Just Picked series, a partnership between Modern Farmer + Foodterra.
Eat the Rainbow Salad
Nutritionists urge us to eat a gorgeous rainbow of fruits and vegetables to get the vitamins and antioxidants we require. This vibrant salad – bursting with orange-roasted beets, crispy radishes and snow peas, dark greens, and fresh herbs – fits the bill. If you don’t feel like firing up your grill, you can roast the beets in a preheated 425°F oven for 25 to 35 minutes instead.
- olive oil, as needed
- 1 orange (ends trimmed, cut crosswise into slices )
- 8-10 small beets (peels on, trimmed, leaving ½ inch of stem on each)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 25–30 snow peas ( cut lengthwise into fine matchsticks)
- 2–3 radishes (thinly sliced)
- 7–10 lovage leaves (finely chopped)
- 5–7 mint leaves (finely chopped)
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp honey wine vinegar (we use Slide Ridge brand)
- 12 baby carrots (peels on, trimmed)
- Meyer Lemon and Mint Vinaigrette (recipe below)
- about 2 cups loosely packed, roughly chopped spinach
- mustard flowers, tops of ‘Red Frills’ mustard greens, and Johnny-jump-up flowers for garnish
- Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Stack 4 squares of aluminum foil and fold up the sides. Drizzle center of foil with oil and fan orange slices on top.
- In a medium bowl, toss beets with enough oil to coat them. Season with salt and pepper. Place beets on top of oranges and wrap foil around them, leaving a small vent at top of packet for steam to escape. Place packet directly on hot coals and roast for 15–25 minutes, or until beets are fork-tender. (Be careful when opening foil packets to check for doneness; hot steam will escape.)
- While beets cook, in same medium bowl, mix together peas, radishes, lovage, mint, lemon juice, a drizzle of oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside, stirring occasionally to help soften the peas.
- Toss carrots with oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2–3 minutes, just until softened. Meanwhile, make Meyer lemon vinaigrette.
- When beets are done, wrap them in paper towels and rub with your fingers to remove skins.
- Make a bed of spinach on a serving dish and dress it with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Top with radish and snow pea mixture. Arrange beets and carrots on the salad, sliding a few beets underneath the greens. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Garnish with mustard flowers, ‘Red Frills’ tops, and Johnny-jump-ups.
Meyer Lemon and Mint Vinaigrette
- ½ shallot (minced)
- 2 lovage stems (finely chopped)
- 7–10 mint leaves (finely chopped)
- 3 capfuls honey wine vinegar (we use Slide Ridge brand)
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil (we used O Olive Oil brand)
- In a medium bowl, mix together shallots, lovage, mint, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking to incorporate.
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