A couple of years ago I spent a wonderful week on the Greek island of Crete.  Every evening my partner and I headed off to our local taverna where we feasted on grilled lamb and fresh vegetables.  Most of the vegetable dishes were served with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkled with fresh garlic and were absolutely delicious.

I have long been a fan of fresh garlic but until then had only ever been served it freshly sprinkled on Chinese dishes I’d eaten in Malaysia.  One of the dishes served in that Cretan taverna was beetroot and garlic salad and I’ve been making it at home ever since.

Some people don’t enjoy beetroot salad because they expect it to be made with vinegar and perhaps taste a bit sour.  The joy of this salad is that you don’t need vinegar – in fact I usually leave it out and instead I use the natural juice in the beetroot vacuum pack combined with olive oil to create the salad dressing.

What makes this the perfect way to eat beetroot is that it requires no cooking, only a little chopping and can be prepared in 10 minutes.

Recipe for Beetroot and Garlic Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 Cooked Beetroot Vacuum Pack 250g (serves 2)
• 6 cloves fresh garlic (suit to taste)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Method:

• Slice the cooked beetroots and place in a dish
• Pour the remaining beetroot juice from the pack over the sliced beetroot
• Peel the garlic cloves and chop thinly
• Add salt and pepper to taste (optional)
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil to cover beetroot
• Add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (optional)
• Mix salad
• Spread chopped garlic on top and serve.

I find this salad goes particularly well with pork chops or loin steaks and sauteed mushrooms.  It’s also tasty with roast chicken. And it’s good for you too!

Nutritional Qualities of Beetroot and Garlic

Beetroot: Beetroot is a good source of minerals, particularly potassium, calcium and magnesium. It also contains iron and zinc and Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C.  Betaine, an amino acid in beetroot is a powerful antioxidant.

Garlic: Garlic is a good source of Vitamins B3 B5 and B6. It is also contains the minerals selenium and calcium and is an excellent source of manganese. It is a natural antibiotic and is particularly good for lowering cholesterol and maintaining a healthy heart.

Photo: Thanks to Skånska Matupplevelser on Flickr.com