Are you a fan of salad? Salads are among the most nutritious meals that one can never miss. The following is a step by step recipe that will guide you in the preparation and cooking of baked beetroot, spinach, and orange salad;

Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves: 4

Cooking time: 1-2 hours

Ingredients

• 500g (1 lb) raw whole beetroots preferably of even size
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Handful of oregano
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 200g (7oz) baby spinach
• 2 oranges, segmented
• 5 tablespoons olive vinaigrette
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped oregano, to garnish

Procedure

• To bake the beetroot, place the while beetroots on a piece of foil large enough to enclose them loosely, spread with garlic and oregano. Season to taste with pepper and drizzle over the oil and vinegar.
• Gather up the foil loosely and fold over at the top to seal. Place on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 200 degrees C (400 degrees F), gas mark 6, for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the beetroot, until tender.
• Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before peeling and slicing the beetroot. Discard the garlic.
• Place the spinach in a layer in the bottom of a large salad bowl followed by alternate layers of beetroot and orange.
• Drizzle over the dressing and season with pepper to taste. Garnish with oregano.

Or you could try

The baked beetroot which is also delicious served hot as a vegetable accompaniment to meat and fish, or roughly mashed to a puree in which case the baked garlic can be added to the mash.

Nutritional Tips

Beetroot is important for heart health as it contains a high amount of antioxidants, as indicated by its vibrant color. It also contains other beneficial vitamins and minerals including beta-carotene, vitamins B6 and C, folic acid, manganese, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and phosphorous – all important for heart health.