My garden was the inspiration for today’s salad of spinach, baby beets, and beet greens with Strawberry-Ginger Vinaigrette. I planted a couple of rows of red and golden beets, which were in need of some thinning out to allow the sturdier plants more room to grow. Happily, I plucked the tiny beets from the soil. They smelled sweet and earthy. Just as mothers always do,  I thought my little baby beets to be quite cute. Their slightly bitter green tops pair nicely with the sweet flavor of spinach in a salad.

A balance of different textures is important in keeping salad interesting. I racked my brain trying to figure out how to add some crunch to my salad. Nuts? No, something different. Croutons? Nope. Then it came to me- wheat berries! I love the al dente bite of wheat berries. The plump cooked grain kind of pops in your mouth. It’s quite nice. I decided to use cooked wheat berries for added texture in my salad.

For the vinaigrette I wanted to do something other than the usual mustard or sherry salad dressing that’s so commonly paired with beets. Instead of savory flavors like shallot or garlic, I was drawn towards sweet and spicy. The lovely floral sweetness of strawberries was a great match for the zesty spice of freshly grated ginger. I wanted a clean vinaigrette with fruity flavor, so I went with neutral tasting grapeseed oil and white wine vinegar. The end result was a sweet and spicy vinaigrette that paired beautifully with the bitterness of  beet greens , the minerality of spinach, and the nutty flavor of wheat berries.

Beet Salad With Strawberry-Ginger Vinaigrette (zoom)

Baby Beet Salad with Strawberry-Ginger Vinaigrette

serves 2

Ingredients for the Salad

a couple handfuls baby beets

spinach
beet greens
1 cup cooked wheat berries, cooled to room temperature

Remove the beet tops and peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. Cook them in boiling water for a few minutes until tender. It’s important to keep yellow beets separate from the red ones until the salad is served because red beets will bleed their colors. Serve the wheat berries split between two plates and place the spinach, beet greens, and cooked beets on top. Sprinkle a few of the wheat berries over the salad. Drizzle the Strawberry-Ginger Vinaigrette over the salad and dig in!

Strawberry-Ginger Vinaigrette

serves 2

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 strawberries, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Place the ginger in a pint sized jar with the strawberries, sugar, salt, and vinegar. Use a muddler or a wooden spoon to muddle, aka break down, the strawberries. You want to break up the strawberries and release their juices. Toss the grapeseed oil into the jar, put on the lid, and give it a good shake for a few seconds. You now have vinaigrette for your salad.