This roasted beet quinoa salad has raw cabbage for crunch and lots of fresh green herbs to brighten it up. It all gets tossed in a creamy, tangy, cumin spiced sunflower dressing and topped with crunchy, salty seeds.
Ingredient Highlight
Beets! Are a really great source of folic acid, fiber, and potassium. The deep purple color comes from betacyanin, which, in combination with the fiber content, has shown to be protective against colon cancer.
Beets also contain nitrates that our bodies convert to nitric oxide, which has a blood dilating effect. This is why runners and endurance athletes love beets – they may increase our endurance!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds*
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2-3 beets (just under 1 lb), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes**
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage***
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, or green scallions)
For the sunflower dressing:
- 1 cup Sunflower Cream
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- *Highly recommend roasting 2 cups to have extra for snacking and topping things. If you’ve already roasted sunflower seeds ahead or bought them roasted, just skip this step.
- **You can sub any roasted vegetable for the beets or do a combo
- ***Save time and sub the store-bought coleslaw mix for the cabbage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the sunflower seeds, 1 teaspoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt to one baking sheet. Add the beets, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the other baking sheet. Toss both to coat in the oil and salt.
- Transfer to the oven and bake the sunflower seeds for 5-6 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Remove the seeds and continue to bake the beets for about 20 more minutes, or until tender.
- In a medium pot, add the quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes, or until water is evaporated and quinoa is cooked through. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and spread out to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Sunflower Cream, vinegar, oil, water, mustard, cumin, and salt. Add beets, cabbage, and herbs to the large bowl and pour 1 cup of the dressing over top. Toss to coat. Serve topped with a drizzle of the remaining dressing, ½ cup of the toasted sunflower seeds (save the rest for other meals).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Prep and roast beets
- Roast 1 cup sunflower seeds
- Cook 1 cup quinoa
- Thinly slice 2 cups cabbage
- Make sunflower dressing
Substitutions:
- You can substitute any roasted veggie in for the beets.
- Use store-bought coleslaw mix to save time on chopping in place of cabbage. Or use any raw crunchy veg you have on hand in place of the cabbage.
- Substitute any cooked grain for the quinoa.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- This salad tastes best warm or at room temp. If eating leftovers, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to take the chill off and warm it up a bit. Top with any leftover dressing, more herbs, and sunflower seeds.
- Toss some fresh greens in with extra dressing to fluff it up into a green salad.
