Yellow Beet Salad with Lemon and Parsley

This yellow beet salad with lemon and parsley is so delicious and so simple to make. It is a perfect salad or side dish to accompany any healthy diet: Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), vegetarian, vegan, grain-free, gluten-free or any healthy diet. The trick to making the beets look and taste great is to cook them before peeling or trimming the roots and tops.

The salad works just as well with red beets or Chioggia beets. I love using yellow beets because of the beautiful color contrast with the green parsley, plus I don’t get my hands stained. But if you love the flavor of red beets, just use gloves if you want to keep your hands from getting stained.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb yellow beets, scrubbed clean with roots and tops intact
• Juice and zest from 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Scrub the beets and keep the roots intact. Then remove the greens but keep a short stem so the top stays intact. Place the beets in a large pot over a steamer basket and add plenty of cold water, so you don’t burn the pot. You can also boil the beets in water. Cook them until they are soft but not mushy. Insert a knife in the beet to give you a clue as to when they are done.

Remove from the water and bring to room temperature. As soon as you can handle them, peel the beets using the back of a teaspoon. Slice the beets across so you see the circular designs. Arrange in a serving platter. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil and garnish with lemon zest and chopped Italian parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Then serve and enjoy!