Moroccan Beet Salad

This recipe happened totally by accident. I bought these chioggio beets a couple of weeks ago and I totally forgot about them in the back of the fridge. And when I saw them I was kinda happy they were still decently fresh. Because they were a bit old I didn’t want to eat them raw, so I steamed them. Normally I prefer eating chioggio beets raw, I mean how beautiful are those stripes or rings depending how you cut them. Anyway when I pulled them out of the pot after steaming, peeled and cut them, they had the most beautiful shade of pink. So instead of blending them in my smoothie I decide to make a salad. 
Moroccan Beet Salad is very similar to the popular Moroccan carrot Salad. It’s deliciously aromatic with cumin and cinnamon, sweetened with orange juice, a little e.v olive oil and perfumed with lemon-orange zest in the mix. It makes a delicious side or salad dish for a bbq, grilled mains or any vegetarian meal. It is best served chilled on a warm summer day, just like if you were to eat in Marrakech.

MOROCCAN BEET SALAD Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4-6 medium beets
• ¼ orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cold pressed e.v olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon and orange zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon 
• ¼ cup mixed herbs cilantro, mint 
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced (forgot to add)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Steam or roast the beets. Peel and cube the beets. Set aside to cool. In the meanwhile blend everything except shallot and the herbs.
• Mix the dressing with the beets, shallots and let it rest for 30 minutes to a hour for the vegetables to absorb the flavors and develop. Serve topped with chopped herbs.