Chicas. Besties. Gal pals. Sisters from other misters. Whatever you want to call them, I’m one lucky lady to have such a stellar crew of them. I am forever grateful for the constant inspiration, love, laughs and all the other gooshy stuff that comes with having a good gaggle of girlfriends. And my ladies are rocking the game of life. They are Massage Therapists, Naturopathic Doctors, Photographers, Nurses, Moms, Real Estate Agents, Managers, Business Owners and fellow Nutritionists. To say I’m surrounded by talent, would be laughable.
In addition to all of these things that my friends do really well, they also know how to throw a damn good party. A few years ago my stellar crew and I threw an epic bachelorette party for one of our beloved ladies. We rented a ridiculously amazing log house (which we dubbed ‘The Compound’) in Ontario’s beautiful cottage country. If my man friend wasn’t so handsome and loveable, I would have stayed there forever with my commune of babes.
Pretty pics right? That’s because my super talented gal pal, Andrea Gibson took them. If you want to make something look awesome, hit her up for all your design/photography needs. She’s got mad skills.
So what does all this lady love have to do with salad? Well, during our weekend in paradise, we all chipped in in the kitchen and this vibrant salad was a contribution by my dear friend, Michelle Pobega. Michelle is a Naturopathic Doctor with a private practice here in Toronto. Her talents stretch far beyond the walls of her clinic as she’s also a wiz in the kitchen. This salad is as vibrant she is and has been a favourite of mine almost as long as she has.
I love making it for dinner on a Sunday and eating the leftovers during the week. Just like a good friend, this salad lasts a long time. To beat the leftover blues, I add a new topping or two to give this salad a whole new twist.
Here’s some of my favourite toppings:
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Arugula
- Pumpkin, hemp or sunflower seeds
- Sunflower sprouts (any sprouts will do)
- Sliced avocado
- Nuts (walnuts are particularly tasty)
- Sliced chicken breast or grilled fish
- Chickpeas
This salad is best served on a picnic blanket with your pals or in a backyard full of besties. So get on the horn and invite those sexy ladies over.
- 1 Cup Quinoa, rinsed
- 2 Cups Filtered Water
- 5-6 Large beets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tbsp Coconut oil
- 2 Cups Fennel, thinly sliced
- 1 Cup Fresh Dill, chopped
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
- Pinch of Sea Salt and Pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Toss chopped beets in coconut oil until coated
- Place on baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until tender
- While the beets are roasting, add the quinoa and water to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat and simmer for 12-15mins until water is absorbed
- Once cooked, fluff quinoa with a fork, remove from heat and allow to cool.
- *You may want to spread it out onto a large plate or baking sheet to shorten the cooling time
- Once tender, remove the beets from oven and set aside to cool
- When the beets and quinoa have cooled, combine with remaining ingredients- fennel, dill, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl
- Stir until well combined
- Enjoy!
- Too hot to roast beets? You can julienne, spiralize or shred raw beats into this salad instead. Roasting them takes you straight to tasty town while the raw option is a little further away, but still good.
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