Endive & Beet Salad

AYURVEDA • BEETS • RECIPE

Author: R.R. Shakti 
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Navigating the changes from vata to kapha season, deliciously, means following a few Ayurvedic rules...
and breaking a couple, too.
This is how we stay balanced through the changing seasons. 

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Ingredients

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True.
Salad is typically a "spring & summer food" around these parts.
But sometimes you just get a hankerin'. Like today, when Marley said, "Mom, will you make a beet salad for lunch?

So when it comes to salad + winter in the Rocky Mountains, a few ingredients keep our vata mellow and nourished, while stoking our cold, sluggish kapha: 

• 8-10 BEETS (golden & red)
• ENDIVE & RADICCHIO (4 small heads)
• LEEKS (4 large)
• ARUGULA (2 cups)
• SUNFLOWER OIL (3 TBS)
• APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (2 TBS optional) 
• BALSAMIC VINEGAR (1/2 cup) 

Beets and leeks help to ground vata dosha and balance kapha dosha, while balsamic vinegar stimulates your digestion. The bitter/spicy greens are warming and purifying. When the bitter and spice is balanced with little orange morsels, vata stays calm. 

SO MANY exciting flavors make this salad worth breaking a few Ayurvedic rules for:

• ORANGES (two large)
• OLIVE OIL (1/2 cup + 2 TBS) 
• RICOTTA CHEESE (2 oz)
• FETA CHEESE (4 oz) 

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Olive oil and cheeses are all heavy enough to use sparingly during kapha season, but if you MUST use cheese (and in this recipe we MUST), light cheeses like goat cheese, ricotta, and feta are the most kapha-neutral options.

Ayurveda 101: Kapha flavors to savor include: bitter, spicy, and astringent. 
Vata is balanced by sweet, sour, and salty.  Vata season transitions to Kapha Season between January & February in the Northern Hemisphere. LEARN MORE. 

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Directions

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1. Roast the Beets

Quarter the beets, drizzle with Sunflower oil, add a dash of salt and pepper.
​I also sprinkle on a little Jalepeño pepper, to add a touch of warmth. 
Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (or until just tender.

2. Soak the Endive & Radicchio 

Tear your "greens" and soak them in a "citrus bath" of 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup lemon juice. You can also add 2 TBS of apple cider vinegar for a little extra zest. 

3. Roast the Leeks

Slice your leeks vertically and drizzle with oil. Salt/pepper and roast for 15-20 minutes.
They can join the beets in the oven at 400 degrees F.

4. Whip up the dressings & Serve

This salad gets 3 dressings. 
The first dressing is the citrus bath for the radicchio and endive (above).
The second is a creamy blend: 2 oz. ricotta, 4 oz. diced feta, and 1/2 cup olive oil.
The third dressing is a drizzle of balsamic glaze made from reducing balsamic vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until a thick glaze forms. 

ONCE YOUR BEETS & LEEKS HAVE COOLED:
Cut orange wedges into small morsels.
Line a plate with fresh arugula.
Top the arugula with endive, radicchio, leeks, beets, and orange morsels.
Dollop with the creamy cheese blend.
Drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
Top with a bit of cracked black pepper to taste.
ENJOY!

More options for 

Ayurveda. Kapha. Vata.

Vata Balancing 101

Yoga + Ayurveda Workbook

Kapha Balancing 101

Need some help establishing a seasonal routine? 

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