Rainbow Carrots and Beetroot Salad with Yoghurt Dressing

Whenever I'm not sure what to cook, I always resort to roasted vegetables. It's my go-to because I generally always have vegetables at hand (the kind that lasts, like root vegetables) and it's a perfect way to transform veg that starts to look a little less fresh.

As beets are in season and they can stick around for a while before going off as do carrots, they're perfect to fill in a meal gap.

So last week, we decided to make ourselves a beet and carrot salad with a zesty and herby yoghurt dressing which pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the beets and carrots. This dish is also wonderful for serving to guests as a side dish — not only is it wholesome but it's also pretty, especially if you get your hands on rainbow carrots.

What are Rainbow Carrots?

Did you know that the first carrots cultivated were purple and yellow in colour? In addition to purple and yellow, carrots were grown in red, white and even black. The orange coloured carrot was not one of the original, natural colours. It was not cultivated until the 1600s by the Dutch when they cross-breed the yellow and red carrots.

The taste difference between different coloured carrots like orange, purple, red, white, and yellow is subtle. You can, of course, use the common orange carrot for this recipe.

Fresh beets over prepared beets

Canned or pre-packaged beets appear to have very similar nutritional values. However, I must have made myself a terrible beet salad once because I absolutely cannot stand pre-cooked beets. As they are boiled, I find that they have too little texture and the flavour is also a tad vinegary to my liking, compared to a beautiful freshly roasted beet.

As this recipe calls for roasted beets, you will need to buy fresh beets, which does take some planning as the beets take a while to cook.

How to Make Beetroot Salad with Yoghurt Dressing

The only bit of preparation required is roasting the vegetables and preparing the dressing.

Roasting Fresh Beets

To prepare the fresh beets for roasting, just scrub the skin of the beets under cold water to remove any remaining soil and grit. Once clean, slice them in half and dress them with oil, salt and pepper.

You should roast them for as long as 40-60 minutes at 180 Degrees Celsius— this varies depending on the size of the beetroots. By the end of it, their skin should be shrivelled and peelable and you should be able to pierce their soft flesh with a knife.

Roasting Rainbow Carrots

As rainbow carrots tend to be slimmer and smaller, I recommend you pop these in halfway through the roasting of the beets (about 30 minutes in) to prevent them from burning. To prepare the carrots first, peel them, then season them as you did with the beets.

Preparing the Dressing

The dressing is a tangy, herby mixture of lemon zest and lemon juice, yoghurt and Marjoram. I use doTERRA's Marjoram essential oil as I don't often find Marjoram at the grocery and it's really come in handy.

Did you know that Marjoram, also known as “wintersweet” or “joy of the mountains,” was known to the Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness. History stories aside, Marjoram is also said to support both healthy cardiovascular and immune systems when ingested.

If you don't have Marjoram essential oil, use 1/2 tbsp of fresh Marjoram to substitute.

Make sure to read my earlier blog post on using essential oils in food. It is critical to know the quality of the oil you're using and how to use it.