Say goodbye to the same old boring lunch salad with our vibrant Beet & Lavender Salad—it’s bold, satisfying, and sure to make your taste buds dance.
This is not your traditional salad. Instead of using leafy greens as the base, it uses beets and riced cauliflower layered with oranges, floral spices, and topped with a sweet date honey dressing. It makes for a tasty lunch, luxurious appetizer, or flavorful side dish.
This Beet & Lavender Salad is a bit more involved than others, so we recommend prepping it over the weekend to have it ready to grab during the workweek. The date honey dressing yields about 1 ½ cups, though the recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons. Store the rest in a mason jar in the fridge and use it as a sweetener for your coffee, a glaze for fish, or to drizzle over fresh fruit.
To make this dish more protein-packed and hearty, add a hard-boiled egg, grilled chicken, diced pork belly, sliced steak, grilled salmon, or poached whitefish. You can also toss in extra walnuts or your favorite nuts for a plant-based protein boost.
TIPS:
- Swap the cauliflower rice for any salad leaves of your choice to make this a more traditional salad.
- We recommend shallots as a great swap for red onions in this recipe because of their delicate, slightly sweet flavor that balances the floral and earthy notes in this dish.
Dietary Restrictions: Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) omissions and substitutions are listed in the recipe ingredients.
Love our recipes? Make going Paleo even easier and download our 7-Day and 28-Day digital meal plans!
Beet and Lavender Salad with Citrus and Toasted Walnuts
- Recipe by: Griffin McMath, ND
- Serves: 1
- Meal: Appetizer
- Serves: 1
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb beets, scrubbed clean
1 cups water
12 Medjool dates
1/2 orange, cubed
2 1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried lavender
1/2 tsp black pepper (AIP - omit)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 cups riced cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cups walnuts, diced (AIP - omit)
1 tsp mustard seeds (AIP - omit)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the beets on the baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until fork-tender. Let them cool, then peel and cut into ½-inch cubes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the date honey: In a small saucepan, combine the dates and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, making sure the dates stay submerged. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then blend until smooth.
Next, infuse your oil: In a small pan over low heat, warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the lavender and thyme for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep another 5 minutes. Strain the herbs using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and set the infused oil aside.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the infused oil and cook the diced red onion for 3–4 minutes, until softened. Add the riced cauliflower and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a dry pan, toast walnuts and mustard seeds for 1-3 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, toss the roasted beets, sautéed cauliflower mixture, orange cubes, and toasted walnuts and mustard seeds. Drizzle with 1⅓ teaspoons of the date honey and gently mix to coat.
Garnish with a sprinkle of lavender or thyme, if desired, and enjoy.
Related Recipe
