Tomato Basil Beet Salad: June Favorite Veg on the Web!

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Well folks it’s the last Saturday of the month, which means that it’s time for me to introduce you to one of my favorite veg-centric bloggers. This month, I’m happy to introduce you to Laura from Sprint 2 the Table. Laura is an honorary vegetarian (/vegan) and comes up with some of the most creative, delicious, and healthy veg-centric dishes out there. What’s more, she infuses her blog with helpful working out tips and updates her readers on her working out adventures. She is sure an inspiration to me (have you seen her triceps?!?!?!) and I absolutely adore her recipes, like this lovely summer salad below! Check it out! And I’ll be back next week with a new popsicle recipe! Happy Saturday folks! 😀

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Hi!  I’m Laura from Sprint 2 the Table

Sprint 2 the Table is a collection of recipes, food adventures, races, strength training, and general pontification.  Why the name? I live my life from meal to meal. Sometimes I think I’m just hustling through my daily activities so I can get to the next occasion for mastication. At bedtime some people count sheep, some people have lull-a-byes… I fall asleep at night thinking about what I’m going to eat for breakfast. It’s a sickness, I know.

I was so excited when Tiffany asked if I would write a guest post for her this week.  She was one of the first blogs I started reading, and I am continually inspired by her recipes and learn something new in each post. Today I wanted to channel Tiffany’s creativity and share a new take on a tomato-basil salad with you all.  While at the farmer’s market last week I picked up a couple of massive beets to roast.  Beets are a relatively new addition to my diet.  

I like to eat a couple of beets each week for their health benefits.  They are a good source of betaine, which lowers homocysteine levels in the blood (thus lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke).  Beets are also an excellent source of fiber, Vitamin C, folates, niacin (B-3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyridoxine (B-6) and carotenoids, iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Many people balk at the root, and to be honest I never cared for their dirt-like taste before.  However, I discovered that when prepared correctly they are quite good.  Two tips for ensuring your beets are tasty: 1. Choose fresh beets that are bright and firm in texture… and… 2. When roasting, cook the beet until you think it’s done… and then let it go 30 minutes more.  This makes it even sweeter, masking the “dirtiness.” In this simple summer salad, the roasted beets with tomatoes, basil, onion, and feta create a satisfyingly sweet and salty combo.  With the warmer-than-usual weather we’ve been having, tomato season peaked early in Georgia. The cherry tomatoes I used here are some of the sweetest I have ever tasted!

We all know that basil is a great pairing with tomatoes, but how about feta cheese?  It added just the right amount of salt to this dish, highlighting the sweet notes in the beet and tomato.  If you are vegan just leave the cheese off, or replace it with your favorite “cheeze.”

Tomato Basil Beet Salad

  • 1/2 C roasted beets, chopped
  • 10-12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 T red onion, diced
  • 2 T fresh basil chiffonade
  • Juice from 1 lemon wedge
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • S&P, to taste
  • 1/2 oz feta cheese (optional)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Makes 1 serving (easily doubled).

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I hope you all enjoy this recipe!  Please swing by my blog, Sprint 2 the Table, and say hello sometime. 🙂 Tiffany, thank you so much for allowing me to take over your blog today.  I hope you are having a fabulous time!

xo,

Laura

Written by

Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

Comments

  1. Hi Laura Nice to meet you here 😉
    The salad looks fresh and delectable. Thank you, Tiffany, Laura, for sharing.

    Wish you a wonderful weekend!
    Angie

  2. Oh, how I love beets! Laura, your beet salad sounds marvelous!!! I’m saving this recipe for when we get some garden tomatoes 🙂 Thanks, Tiffany for sharing Laura and her yummy salad with us 🙂

  3. I have a hard time with beets but I really think that I would take them this way!

    XOXO
    http://TheSquishyMonster.com
    Twitter @aSquishyMonster

  4. what a delicious guest post!

  5. This salad rocks!! Love it. 🙂 Beets are so underrated… but I love them.

  6. Hi Laura, nice to meet you. I love tomatoes and this is so pretty! I’ve always loved the basil/tomato combi.
    Great guest post, Tiffany!

  7. What a wonderful salad. I will bet it tasted delicious!

    • Oh, it did! I’ve been making it all week with my Farmer’s Market finds. Love local veggies!

  8. Woo hoo! Great seeing Laura over here. She makes eating healthy and being fit actually fun to read about. And she’s a great motivator 🙂

    Loving this beet salad. So pretty!

    BUZZED

  9. Thank you again for the guest spot Tiffany!!! Can’t wait for your return with that Ppopsicle recipe! 🙂

  10. Mmm! This sounds delicious! Two of my favorite things, tomatoes and beets! Great salad Laura :)!

  11. What a wonderful guest post my friend 😀
    This looks incredible in both health, taste and freshness!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  12. such a wonderful simple delicious salad! love the guest post. thanks for introducing me to a new blogger 🙂

  13. Beets are a new addition to my staple too, Laura! I have an excess of tomatoes and basil right now, so this will be a great way for me to use it up. Thanks for sharing!

  14. What a vivid, colorful summer salad–and I love Laura’s blog!

  15. It’s a pleasure to meet you Laura and thanks for bringing this gorgeous salad.

  16. Thanks for all for all of the comments everyone! 😀