Roasted Beet Salad with Spiced Chick Peas & Tahini Dressing

Beet salad, generally speaking, does not excite me. It needs textural and temperature contrast, (extreme) freshness and a brush of finesse to stand out from the crowd. Maybe the deli case versions and possibly the beets/chevre/mixed greens restaurant staples are in part responsible. Beets need attention and excitement to really shine.

I feel like maybe we have stopped thinking about beets and asking where they see themselves outside of where they have been typecast. Is it because they turn everything the colour of strawberry ice cream? Because it is a tricky colour for something that tastes so earthy to pull off. Maybe it’s because they are so intensely sweet….yet savory.

The thing is, they are totally worth a bit of a reinvention if it gets you re-interested in them, they are just so good for you. For starters, they are full of the intense pigment, betalain (also seen in pink chard stems and my favourite vacation flowers of the same colour, bougainvillea). They contain anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory powers, promote blood flow and blood purification, and help prevent anemia and constipation. All very good things if you have/had or are hoping to prevent cancer. For optimum health benefits, leave the skin on (you will hardly notice it).

I think beets (and most things) taste best warm this time of year. Roast beets right out of the oven taste simple and clean, but this is an amped up version for when you are looking for something a little more interesting. Maybe something that tickles your ethnically diverse food cravings.

Tahini, I find to be as earthy as the beets but in a more refined way. They both add something the other needs; an unexpectedly good combo. The lemon and fresh herbs add a raw freshness that the whole dish screams for.

The chick peas add some texture, while their spices are bold and pair really well with the beets. In fact, for lazier nights, just toss the beets with the chick pea spices, and squeeze some lemon on them, and possibly orange zest, when they come out of the oven. So good, and a nice change from the norm.

When the summer roles around (or if it is summer where you are) (lucky), you can make this same salad with the beautiful multi-coloured beets at your farmers market, or even (brace yourself) slip in some juicy slices of fresh tomatoes. Perfect at summer-evening room temp.

For this winter-y time of year, I like the beets to be warm. Everything else can be room temp/cold, but the warm beets keep the whole feel of this dish winter-appropriate and cozier than veggies sometimes allow for.