I’m almost at the end of my three week experiment of cutting out sugar and it’s been going pretty well. I haven’t been very strict about it but I got a friend from work to join me so we can motivate each other. The biggest benefit I’ve seen thus far is not feeling sick after binging on sweets, or waking up with a stomach ache from my sugar bender the night before. And I’ve been stuffing myself with tons of veggies.
Luckily, this is a pretty good time of year for filling up on vegetables. Sweet potatoes, are one of my favorites, but I also love beets. And nothing goes better with beets than goat cheese. So I made a salad out of it. A baby kale salad to be exact. I like to use baby kale in salads because it is more tender and less bitter than its adult counterpart. I also toasted up some raw quinoa and added it to the salad for a little crunch. I love the way it turned out!
My go-to salad dressing is the one I used here- an apple cider vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and lemon juice mixture with salt and pepper to taste. I make a big jar of it and store it in the fridge for salads. I can’t remember the last time I bought salad dressing because why would I with such a tasty (and sugar-free) homemade version.
The best thing about this salad is it’s simplicity and it makes for a a great entree or a side dish.
So, go ahead and fill up on the veggies!
What’s your favorite fall or winter salad?
- 4 tablespoons raw quinoa
- 8 cups lightly packed pre-washed baby kale
- 2 cups chopped cooked beets
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 3/4 cup roasted and salted pistachios
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- Add quinoa to a nonstick pan and heat over medium heat. Watch carefully and continue to stir the quinoa as it toasts, being careful not to burn it. Let cool completely once lightly toasted.
- Prepare vinaigrette by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking (or you can use a jar, close it, and shake it up until the vinaigrette is combined).
- Add kale, beets, goat cheese, pistachios and quinoa to a large bowl. Pour a few tablespoons of vinaigrette over everything and toss lightly with your hands, salad tossers, or tongs until everything is coated with the dressing. Add more dressing to taste. Serve immediately.
great combo of the kale, beets, pistachios and goat cheese, that sounds heavenly 🙂
Beets and goat cheese are made for each other! I’ve been thinking about doing a no sugar week or two, would be interested to hear about your experience!!
I definitely recommend it! It was a good way to cut back on my cravings and I felt really good during it. I wasn’t that strict but I tried to cut out all white sugar and flour, as well as added sugars as much as I could. Let me know how it goes if you decide to do it!
Sounds like a terrific fall salad!
Thanks, Diane! I’m all about the fall salads.
Katie … what is the mix of colorful seeds in the jar? BTW, the salad looks awesome!
It is a tricolor quinoa that I got at Trader Joe’s! Although I would use just the light kind next time because it was kind of hard to see when it was toasted before it burned (which happened to me more than once) 🙁
Mmm pistachios, beets, quinoa, those are just perfect!