Beet Carrot Salad: A Cheap Side Dish, Life in canada

Discover the vibrant beet carrot salad, a perfect addition to your meals that is both economical and nutritious.

In October 2012, just nine months after starting the Canadian Budget Binder blog, I participated in a week-long grocery challenge called The Welfare Food Challenge.

The idea behind the challenge was that participants had $26 to buy groceries for one person for the week.

I decided to take on the Welfare Food Challenge, which gave me insight into what life was like for those struggling to pay the bills and have little left for food.

At that time, we were savvy shoppers and knew the ins and outs of couponing, scanning code of practice, bargain basement deals, and ways to stretch meals.

I came up with a salad with boiled beets and carrots because I needed a cheap side dish for my black bean burgers.

• Beet Carrot Apple Salad
• Beet Carrot Pineapple Salad
• Beet Carrot Slaw
• Kale Beet Carrot Salad
• Beetroot Carrot Salad
• Roasted Beet Carrot Salad

How To Boil Beets

If you have pickled beets, which we do, they are perfect for this beet-carrot salad.

Also, if beets aren’t in season and you want to make this salad, a jar of pickled beets is inexpensive.

For those of you who can find fresh beets, wash them thoroughly and peel them.

Always wear some form of kitchen gloves, as beets will stain your hands a deep red.

I give the beets a few pricks with a fork and set them in a pot of cold salted water.

Boil the beets until fork-tender, then strain the water.

Set the beets aside to cool while you grate the carrots, mince the garlic, and prep the dressing.

Once the beets are cooled, cut them in half, then into chunks, and set aside.

The time it takes to boil beets until tender depends on how many you are making and their size.

Generally, when I boil four medium-sized beets for around 10-12 minutes, they are cooked.

I like my beets tender but with a bit of crunch, so if you do too, don’t overcook them.

Roasting Beets

You can also roast beets in the oven, by washing, peeling, rubbing with a bit of oil, and baking until fork-tender at 350 degrees.

Remove from the oven, cool, and chop into chunks. Either way, the beets taste delicious.

Tips For Jazzing Up The Beet Carrot Salad

You may look at this delicious beet carrot salad and feel it looks a bit naked.

However, for someone with limited cash and a very tight budget, this salad is heaven.

The good news is that you can add an array of ingredients and flavours to bulk up the beet carrot salad.

Often, we buy a mixed produce box from FlashFood that comes with surprise veggies and fruits.

For example, I didn’t remember making this salad recipe for 13 years because our Flashfood box came with three fresh beets.

Everything in the photo below cost us $5 by using the Flashfood app.

Since we don’t always know what’s hidden at the bottom of a box, we will use what we get to bulk out our meals.

For example, consider the following ingredients that would turn this into a fantastic salad year-round.

• Honey or Mustard in the dressing.
• Use wine, white or rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar instead of lemon.
• Crumbled feta cheese
• Grated Cheese
• Chopped olives, or any pickled veggies.
• Spring onions, celery, ribbon fennel, red, orange, yellow peppers, cauliflower florets, or any other veg.
• Add chopped apples, a pear, or other complementary fruits.
• Sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, raisins, or dried cranberries.
• Legumes, chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, etc.

How To Make Beet Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• 3 fresh beets, washed and peeled
• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and grated
• Dressing
• 1 lemon
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 avocado or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized pot, add the peeled beets to cold water with a pinch of salt.
2. Boil on medium-high for 10-12 minutes, or until fork-tender.
3. Drain the beets and set them aside to cool.
4. Peel and grate 2 carrots, then put them into a bowl.
5. Add the dressing ingredients into a small mason jar, cover, and shake.
6. Taste the dressing to see if it’s seasoned enough. Add more if needed.
7. Pour the dressing over the grated carrots and mix.
8. Cut the boiled beets in half, then into small chunks, and put them on top of the carrots.
9. Gently mix the beets into the salad, leaving a bit on the top for decoration, but you don’t have to.
10. Refrigerate until cool and enjoy.
11. See notes for other ingredient options.

Notes

 Consider the following ingredients that would turn this into a fantastic salad year-round.

• Honey or Mustard in the dressing.
• Use other vinegars such as rice, wine, white, or apple cider.
• Crumbled feta cheese
• Grated Cheese
• Chopped olives, or any pickled veggies.
• Spring onions, celery, ribbon fennel, red, orange, yellow peppers, cauliflower florets, or any other veg.
• Legumes, chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, etc.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below and tell me how you liked this simple beet carrot salad.

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